


Tributaries

by hinatatas



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Leads the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, lots of friendship and character growth!, new palaces for canon characters!, speculation about stuff the game didn't explain!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22362424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinatatas/pseuds/hinatatas
Summary: Goro Akechi had never excelled at making friends, which was one possible reason why he clung to a blurry childhood memory of Yusuke Kitagawa. A decade later, rehashing their friendship becomes much more complex than he anticipated.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kitagawa Yusuke
Comments: 44
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning: This work contains references to psychological/physical abuse throughout (nothing graphic), brief mentions of self-harm/suicidal thoughts, and spoilers for all of P5 (not P5R, as I wrote most of this in like 2017/2018 before the announcement came out)
> 
> This is an idea that I've had for like over two years lmao, and I'm really excited to finally share with others!! This is basically an AU where Akechi is a leader and founding member of the Phantom Thieves, which formed 2 years earlier than in Persona 5 (so the fic starts in 2014 rather than 2016). It's different from a rewrite of Persona 5 with Akira and Akechi's places swapped; one of my main goals in writing this has been to never throw Akira or any other character under the bus for the sake of Akechi's character development, so Akira will join normally rather than being the person behind the mental shutdowns. Also, certain characters who died during/before the game will be alive in this fic, which will change many details and arcs significantly (read on to find out who!). Also, I designed 3 new Palaces just for this fic! Most decisions have been made for specific reasons and will generally be explained in the story itself, but if you have questions, feel free to ask (or point out typos). There are definitely gonna be at least a few plot holes/dropped narrative threads, as this is a very complicated game and I am only one person with no editor!
> 
> I know the pairing is unusual, but I think the parallels between Yusuke and Akechi are really interesting, and I wanted to explore how a friendship between them would develop if they met at younger ages. If you're a bit skeptical about it, I hope their relationship development is compelling enough to change your mind! If you’re already a fan of akekita, I hope this makes you happy! 
> 
> I'm uploading the prologue and the first chapter in one day to get started, and I'll try to update weekly after that until I run out of buffer chapters (there’s about 15 right now, over 120,000 words, but I still gotta edit). I tried a bit of a different writing style for prologue since it's from lil baby Goro's perspective! I hope you enjoy!

**May 4, 2003**

At four years old, Goro Akechi was, in the eyes of the law, an orphan. His mom was gone, and he never had a dad, so he moved into a home with other abandoned children. The atmosphere there was never really that different from his old home; the stricken expressions of others, the slumped shoulders, and the muffled cries he heard at night felt familiar. It wasn't comfortable, exactly, but it made the transition a bit less jarring.

The adults that he met there were very different, though. His mom was sad and tired most of the time, but these women were always busy, with angry brows and clenched jaws and worried eyes. He tried to stay out of their way. And out of the way of the older kids. Out of everyone's way, really.

That was why, after several weeks of being here, Goro could count the number of times he had talked to other people on both of his hands. He sometimes noticed other kids going into the office on the first floor, but no one had ever invited him there. Once, he tried waiting outside the door and asking one of the other orphans what they had talked about inside, but one of the ladies came out first and told him to go back to his room.

After that, he got very good at eavesdropping.

Today, he sat on the floor of the common room and pretended to read as he listened in on several conversations. The orphans in the room were talking quietly about the usual topics: difficulties in school, hope of finding a family, fear of punishment. He placed himself close to the door to overhear two women talking in the hallway.

"Is everything ready for the new arrival? He's coming in later today."

"Yeah, that's the boy who's just staying for a couple weeks, right?" Goro had to strain a bit to hear the second woman. "I couldn't find any clean bedding for him."

A sigh. "We really can't afford another set. We'll figure something else out."

"I feel bad... I mean, does any of this matter? Is anyone really going to adopt any of these kids? The last few meetings with prospective parents haven't been promising."

"They haven't," the first woman agreed, "but this new kid should at least be out soon. He's just staying temporarily until the person interested in adopting him sorts out all the paperwork. If he adjusts well to that placement, it could reflect well on us."

The other woman sighed, as well. "I guess, but I haven't been feeling very optimistic about the future lately. It feels like there's no point in trying when there's almost no chance of these kids living a normal life."

The first woman hummed in agreement, and they continued their conversation at a lower volume. It seemed cruel to talk about this sort of thing within earshot of the children, but neither of the women seemed to care. Goro could almost empathize; he also felt himself losing hope, and he hadn't been here nearly as long as the other kids or the adults taking care of them. The new kid was lucky because he had a way out. It was a much better chance than Goro had.

He didn't listen in on anyone else for the rest of the morning.

He was still in the common room with a book when another child was escorted into the room. The head of the house gave the same direction that she had given Goro upon his arrival here, and Goro tuned out her words in favor of examining the new arrival. The boy looked about his age and wore the same outfit that all the other boys at the home wore: slacks, polished shoes, a collared shirt, and a sweater vest. Thinking back to the conversation he heard earlier, Goro guessed that a lot of the home's money went into its uniforms. He had learned early on that looking polished was very important to adults.

Besides the outfit, the hair stuck out the most; it was slicked back and the color of deep water. Akechi patted his dull brown hair, which the head of the house had recently cut very short. Long hair was not respectable on boys, it seemed. The new kid's locks brushed his ears, so he would probably have to get it cut, too. 

Or maybe not, since he was leaving in a few weeks, anyway. Whoever was about to adopt him might not care if his hair was a bit long or his expression a bit too confused, too clueless.

"Dinner will be served in half an hour," the head of house concluded. "You may use this room quietly until then."

"Thank you," the boy said. He bowed to the woman in charge, who nodded and strode back to her office. From his spot against the wall, Goro waved and smiled hesitantly. The boy's confused expression remained, but he walked over and introduced himself as Yusuke.

"I'm Goro." He extended a hand. "I've been here for a little while. I heard that someone else will take care of you soon?"

"Yes," Yusuke said. He stared at Goro's hand and clasped it without shaking. "How old are you?"

"I'll be five soon."

"Oh."

Goro smiled again. "And you?"

"Three."

There were a few babies here, but Yusuke's age still put him in one of the youngest categories. Even if he was leaving soon and Goro wasn't, Goro still wanted to help him. "Do you want to look at this book with me?"

Yusuke nodded and slid down the wall to sit. They spent some time looking at pictures together, and Yusuke occasionally put his hand on the paper to keep Goro from turning the page. He especially seemed to like tracing his fingers over the bright colors.

After some time spent in quiet companionship, the dinner bell rang and Goro started to close the book. Yusuke once again put his hand between the pages, and Goro paused. "It's time for dinner. We should go."

Yusuke shook his head and pointed at the cover with his free hand. "I want to keep looking."

"We don’t have a lot of snacks here," Goro said, gently removing Yusuke's hand from the pages. "It's important to eat when you can."

Yusuke frowned and stared at the book with teary eyes, but he allowed Goro to lead him to dinner.

\---

**May 7, 2003**

“Do you like the Feathermen?”

Yusuke looked up slowly from his spot on the floor, blinked at Goro, and nodded. He held up the blue action figure in his hand to demonstrate.

Goro smiled and sat next to his friend. “Blue Swan is nice,” he said, “but my favorite is Red Hawk!” He poked at the toy’s stiff plastic cape as he tried to remember the episodes he’d seen. “He’s so cool. He always knows what to do, even when there are so many bad guys, and he gives these really cool speeches-”

“Hey, can you quiet down over there?” One of the older kids turned from the TV to glare at Goro and Yusuke. “We’re trying to watch.”

“Sorry,” Goro muttered. He looked to Yusuke with a sigh. “They never let me watch it here. I have to wake up before everybody else on Sundays to see it.”

Yusuke clutched the Blue Swan figure to his chest and looked over at the group by the TV. “Why don’t they wanna watch it?”

“They like boring stuff,” Goro said, “and the ladies want us to watch educational shows, anyway.” He leaned in with a small smile. “They let me watch cartoons on the weekends, though.”

Yusuke looked back to Goro with wide eyes. “I wanna watch with you!”

Goro’s smile grew, and he nodded. “It’s on at six on Sundays. We have to wake up real early and sneak down here so we don’t wake up the other kids.”

Yusuke nodded back, looking very somber. “I’ll be real quiet.” He mimed sneaking with his action figure, making Goro laugh under his breath.

“Where did you get that?” Goro asked. “I can’t find a lot of toys around here.”

“My momma got it.” Yusuke’s hands stopped moving, and he sniffed. “It’s my favorite.”

“I wish I had one,” Goro said quickly. “Let’s play, okay? I’ll get some other toys.” He moved to the shelf behind Yusuke and started taking down stuffed animals. “What if Blue Swan rides the elephant? That would be fun, right?”

Yusuke wiped at his eyes with a final sniff. He sat the figure atop a stuffed turtle and giggled.

Goro smiled and hugged the stuffed elephant to his chest.

\---

**May 25, 2003**

"I heard you're leaving tomorrow."

Yusuke nodded, and Goro bit his lip to stop it from shaking. He fiddled with the corner of the paper he held. "You should write me a letter," he continued. "Tell your new dad to send it here." 

Yusuke took the paper, eyes squinting as he tried to read the words. Goro's sadness lifted for a moment; he was proud of himself for getting that address, for taking a piece of mail without anyone noticing and copying the complicated characters. "Okay," Yusuke finally said.

That night, they shared a threadbare blanket in one of the crowded bedrooms. Goro didn't sleep well.

\---

**June 2, 2003**

Yusuke had said he would write to him soon, but it was Goro's birthday and there was still no letter. No one had the money or energy to do something special for him on his fifth birthday. He got an extra snack before dinner, but he didn't really feel like eating.

After dinner, he asked one of the women for Yusuke's address. She frowned and said, "We can't tell you that. Yusuke is with his new family now, and he doesn't need you to contact him."

Goro didn't think that was true, but he knew better than to talk back. He bowed his head and returned to the common room to find the first book that they looked at together. He curled up by the wall and squinted his eyes as he tried to see the pictures the way Yusuke would see them.

That night, after most of the workers went home, Goro made his way downstairs, crawling on all fours so the floor wouldn't creak. The door to the main office was locked, but he sneaked outside and crawled in through a window; the house didn't have screens, which, outside of this case, he resented. He fell inside, dusted himself off, and opened the first filing cabinet he found. He shuffled through the papers but couldn't read any of the names. Goro squinted against the darkness as he searched for the characters he knew were Yusuke's, feeling his heart beat faster, fearing what would happen if someone found him— 

There. He found a familiar set of characters and pulled the file out, then searched the desk for a piece of paper. Hand shaking, he copied down all the information as best as he could. It seemed to take an eternity in that small, dark room, with only the sounds of his breath and his heart filling his ears, but he completed the task without interruption and returned everything to its place. He pocketed an envelope and stamp he found in one of the drawers and crept back to the window. Once back outside, he started towards the front door but realized that he had left the window open. Heart rate speeding back up, Goro searched for a way to boost himself up so he could close the window, but he couldn't find anything; he was barely tall enough to open the window and squeeze through in the first place, let alone reach the windowsill and pull it shut.

His hands trembled, and he clutched his paper closer to his chest. They might not know it was him, but someone would pay for it in the morning. Probably everyone.

He tried to reassure himself; maybe they would just think it was a robber, or that someone had forgotten to shut the window before they left for the day. Neither possibility seemed likely, though.

Goro shook his head. It was worth it to send a message to his friend. He took in a deep breath and sneaked back upstairs, composing a letter in his mind. 

\---

**June 3, 2003**

_Yusuke,_

_I miss you. I hope you are happy in your new house. Please write back._

_Goro Akechi_

Goro knew that the words weren’t enough, and Yusuke might not even be able to read them, but maybe his new dad could. At the bottom of the letter, he drew a picture of Red Hawk and Blue Swan holding hands.

On their morning walk to school, he slipped the letter into a neighbor's mailbox to send it out, feverishly worrying if he had copied the correct information onto the envelope so it would reach Yusuke. He allowed himself to hope.

\---

**June 13, 2003**

Yusuke splayed his hands on the living room table as Madarame went through their mail. "Sensei, did Goro write back yet?"

"It doesn't seem so," Madarame said. He offered Yusuke a sympathetic smile and added, "I'm sure he's focusing on learning new things. It's important that you do the same."

Yusuke clenched his fists against the splintered wood and sniffed. "But I thought we were friends. Why doesn't he like me?"

"As I said, he must be busy. If you also keep yourself busy, you will not waste time thinking about such things." Madarame stood and organized the envelopes into a pile. It hurt Yusuke to know that none of those envelopes were for him, and he started to cry. Madarame sighed and stooped down. "The life of an artist can be solitary at times. I'm sorry that you're upset, but it's better that you learn this lesson now. You must prioritize what is most important—your creativity, your art. Do you understand?"

Yusuke didn't understand at all, but Madarame was giving him a very serious look. He nodded and wiped his eyes.

\---

**July 1, 2003**

In the past month, Goro had been using the characters of Yusuke's name to practice his writing, but it made him feel sicker every time he did it.

Yusuke Kitagawa, who had clung to Goro for support but abandoned him completely.

Yusuke Kitagawa, who had a safe, loving home.

Yusuke Kitagawa, who had the chance Goro might never get.

He engrained the name into his memory so he wouldn't have to write it down anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter moves pretty fast because I'm trying to get the story started, and I'll also skip through some Palaces pretty quickly if the scenes would be too similar to the actual game. Generally, Persona 5 is a dramatic game, so the fic will also be pretty dramatic, but I'm trying to keep melodrama to a minimum. That might result in a bit of a flat writing style sometimes; let me know what you think!

**April 8, 2014 (Tuesday)**

So far, high school was about what Goro expected; the workload was already much more intense, he hadn't made any friends, and his teachers had unreasonably high expectations. He had already joined two clubs in hopes of fulfilling those expectations, but he had yet to develop a genuine interest in kendo or orchestra. At least after-school activities would keep him out of the house for longer.

At the moment, however, he was stuck in his foster family's home, listening to the news for company as he worked through his assignments. His attention fell mostly on his work, especially through commercials, but he looked up every few minutes to familiarize himself with current events. He was just finishing up math when the show transitioned to a new segment.

"Today, we have a very special guest," a smiling interviewer said. "The artist Ichiryusai Madarame is joining us today, along with his pupil Yusuke Kitagawa."

Goro's fingers tensed against his paper, and he turned the volume up.

"Madarame rose to fame years ago with his 'Sayuri' painting, and he's sure to astound us again with his new exhibit, premiering this weekend." The interviewer turned to an elderly man wearing a kimono and a boy about Goro's age. "Madarame, would you tell us more about the inspiration behind your exhibit?"

Madarame smiled and started to give some answer, but Goro wasn't paying attention. He leaned in to look more closely at the boy, who sat with perfect posture, hands folded across his crossed legs. 

It was so many years ago that the details had faded, but Goro thought that he remembered that hair. The child he had met in the group home—the only one he had ever befriended—had the exact same style and color, and that child also expressed a great interest in picture books. His name was also uncommon, so it wasn't a stretch to assume that this was the same boy.

The sound of crumpling paper reached Goro's ears. He looked down to see that his fist had completely closed around his assignment sheet, and he tried to relax his hands as he returned his attention to the TV.

"My pupils have also been a great inspiration to me," Madarame was saying. He turned his calm smile to Yusuke. "Their youthful energy and spirit have given me many new perspectives, so some of the pieces at the exhibit will be a bit more experimental."

Yusuke's mouth twitched as he smiled back, and the interviewer's attention turned to him. "Yes, your pupils have produced great work in the past. How long has young Kitagawa been working with you?"

"About ten years," Madarame answered, and Goro wondered what the point of having Yusuke on the show was if the adults weren't going to let him answer for himself. "I took him in after his mother suffered a tragic death, and he has been working with me ever since. He is truly a special young artist."

Of course that was the point: to amplify Madarame's public image. That time-frame also lined up with the year that Yusuke left the group home.

The interviewer shook his head in exaggerated awe. "That was incredibly generous of you. I see a strong familial bond between you two! Is that also something that's reflected in your work?"

"Of course," Madarame said, and Yusuke smiled again. As Madarame blathered on about himself for a bit longer, Goro analyzed Yusuke's body language. He was obviously uncomfortable, and his eyes kept wandering about, as though looking for an escape. He could have just been nervous for the interview, but something was off. Goro knew by now not to trust foster parents, and he leaned in to watch more closely.

"Kitagawa, what is the most important thing that you have learned under Madarame?" the interviewer asked.

There. Yusuke's eyes flicked to Madarame, and, although Madarame wore an encouraging smile, Yusuke fidgeted to adjust his long sleeves before answering. "To stay humble in everything I do," he said.

The interviewer nodded. "As expected, Madarame, you have instructed this young man not only in the ways of art, but in character, as well. Truly exceptional." He smiled and uncrossed his legs. "Before we wrap up, why don't you remind us one more time where your exhibit is?"

Goro hastened to write down the address and dates that Madarame gave on television. His foster parents normally cracked down on evenings and weekends, threatening that he either stay out of trouble or go back to an orphanage, but perhaps he could go after school one day.

He couldn't allow himself to hope for a rekindling of their friendship; Yusuke had abandoned him, which still hurt more than being ignored or neglected. However, in spite of his resentment, Goro still felt sentimental over the lost child who he had helped so long ago. Maybe he could help Yusuke again. Maybe that would make him remember.

Goro turned off the TV before his foster parents came home and made sure to remove all signs of his presence from the common area, then went back to work in his room.

\---

**April 14, 2014 (Monday)**

Even on a weekday, Goro had to carefully make his way through the crowds at Madarame's exhibit. He threaded between couples and groups, apologizing to anyone he bumped into and trying to ignore their glares. It was unclear if Yusuke would be here, but, if Madarame's pandering in the interview was any indication, the star pupil would likely make appearances to garner sympathy and publicity.

As someone in a similar situation, Goro found the exploitation unsubtle, but adults didn't see through it. 

He looked for that distinctive head of hair and found it in a corner of the exhibit, next to a spread of square canvases. As he moved closer, Goro observed Yusuke's body language; he stood with his hip to one side, chin in hand, neck tilted to view some of the pieces higher up on the wall. As one would expect, this teenager carried himself with more poise than the boy Goro met a decade ago, but the slump in his shoulders gave away a variety of possible emotions: exhaustion, for one.

Goro stepped beside Yusuke and followed his gaze upward. The canvases started small near the floor and increased in size as they neared the ceiling; the painting at the top of the pyramid seemed almost as tall as Goro and depicted a teary pair of eyes. He gritted his teeth to suppress a shudder.

"They seem maternal, almost omniscient," he said. He tried not to smile as Yusuke jolted beside him. "With the way she's looking down at us, I feel like quite the disappointment."

Goro glanced over at Yusuke, who stared openly. "What makes you assume that the eyes belong to a woman?" he asked.

"Just a feeling." Though he wished to look more closely for any familiarities in Yusuke's face, Goro looked back up. "They make me think of my mother."

"Oh," Yusuke said softly. "You seem conflicted. I'm sorry."

"It's not worth being sorry about. She passed when I was young, so I don't actually remember much about her." Goro crossed his arms, gripping his elbows to ground himself. 

"My mother is gone, as well." Out of the corner of his eye, Goro could see that Yusuke was still staring at him. "But I never thought of this painting as maternal. It's always seemed more paternal to me." Yusuke sighed through his nose. "The sense of disappointment is certainly there, but I believe there's more to it. The eyes seem to pass judgement on everyone in the room and deem all of us unworthy. As you said, there is a certain omniscience in that they can see the evil in everyone, but it could also be mere pessimism."

Goro hummed in agreement. "I enjoy the ambiguity. This is good work." He turned to Yusuke with a smile. "Not that I know much about art, of course."

"Your perspective is interesting," Yusuke said, tilting his head again. "May I ask your name?"

Goro had expected this, but he still had to force his expression to remain neutral. Of course Yusuke didn't remember; he had only known Goro for a few weeks, and they were both very young at the time. 

And he hadn't even cared enough to write a letter.

"Goro Akechi," he said. "And you?"

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "Goro," he murmured. "That's..." He closed the distance between them in one step, leaning uncomfortably close. "And you said your mother is gone? What of your father?"

Goro swallowed before answering. "I've never met him."

"Were you ever in foster care?"

Goro leaned back and forced himself to laugh. "It's not exactly polite to ask such personal questions of someone you've just met." At Yusuke's pensive expression, he added, "But yes, I am in foster care now, and I spent time at a group home before that. My mother passed away about ten years ago, so I have been in transition ever since."

"Ten years," Yusuke repeated. "Goro?"

In the sudden hope that Yusuke would figure it out on his own, Goro tried to refrain from answering, but Yusuke's full name slipped out with a fondness that Goro didn't know he still felt. As soon as he said it, Yusuke's hands grasped his shoulders.

"It's you," he breathed.

"I'm surprised you remembered," Goro said. He swallowed again and focused on keeping his expression blandly pleasant. "It was so long ago."

Yusuke's wide eyes crinkled at the edges as he beamed at his old friend. Goro couldn't remember anyone ever looking at him like that. "I cannot believe you found me," Yusuke said. "But why did you never write back to me? I remember having Sensei write a letter on my behalf, and I asked him to send it to you at the home."

Goro frowned. "I never received it. I found your address and tried sending you a letter, as well, but there was no response."

"How odd. Perhaps we mixed up the characters on the envelopes," Yusuke said. "We were very young, after all."

"Perhaps," Goro repeated, but he tapped a finger to his chin as he thought to the contrary. Everyone who had cared for him after his mother's death screened his mail before passing it on to him, so he wouldn't be surprised if Madarame had done something similar. If that was the case, Yusuke's situation could be nearly as abusive as Goro's; cutting off contact with peers was one of the most alienating things a guardian could do.

Realizing he had fallen silent, Goro asked, "Have any of your friends stopped by the exhibit? I would imagine that they would come to support you after that news segment aired."

Yusuke shook his head. "Since leaving you, I have not formed any new friendships." He forced a small smile. "Sensei's support is more than enough. Besides, none of my pieces are on display here."

His voice cracked during the last sentence, fingers twitching against Goro's shoulders. "Is that so," Goro said. He tried to soften his expression. "I would like to see one of your pieces someday. I'm sure they're wonderful."

"Oh." Yusuke stepped back, hands falling to his sides, and Goro repressed a shudder at the loss of warmth. "Well, there is one piece here that... has inspired many of my own works. I can show you." Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way to the opposite wall. Goro followed, staying as close to Yusuke as possible. Despite himself, he felt his resentment for Yusuke draining away to be redirected at Madarame; as he obtained more information, it seemed that his assumptions about Madarame had been correct. 

They reached a painting, and Goro's vision blurred as he stared at it. Yusuke spoke next to him, but his voice faded into the background noise as Goro continued to think. The similarities between him and Yusuke ran deeper than he thought; not only were they both living in abusive situations with guardians that used them, but their guardians also denied them support networks. Madarame presumably did not send Yusuke's letter and destroyed the one that Goro sent, and Goro's own foster parents would not allow him outside of the house alone for any purpose other than school activities. The isolation had damaged their social skills to the point where, even if they had the opportunity to spend time with peers, they would not have been able to connect with new friends in any meaningful way. Goro gritted his teeth again as he remembered all the times he had been insulted, denied resources, denied even the most basic—

"Goro?"

Goro startled and turned to Yusuke. He was surprised that he still responded to that name; even his foster parents called him by his last name, as if to remind him of his origins and the reason why they would never accept him. "My apologies," he said. His voice sounded far away, and his vision still wouldn't focus. "I was lost in thought."

Yusuke's brow furrowed. “This is befuddling. You said that you wanted to see a piece relevant to me, yet you have not been listening to my explanation."

"I apologize," Goro repeated. "Please tell me more."

Yusuke sighed, but, before he could speak, someone called for him. They both turned to the source of the call, and Goro's fists clenched as Madarame approached with the same calm expression he wore on TV. When that smile was directed at him, Goro bowed his head, taking an extra moment to collect himself.

"I'm only checking in," Madarame said. "How are you holding up? Is this an acquaintance of yours?"

"Yes." From his position, Goro could see Yusuke's feet shuffling on the smooth floor. "This is Goro Akechi. We met some time ago." From his tone, Goro could tell that Yusuke wanted to say more, but something held him back. 

"It is an honor to meet you, Madarame," Goro said. He stared at the floor for a moment longer to calm himself, then straightened up with a smile. "I saw your interview on television and admired what you said about the virtues of family."

Madarame's smile softened, and he looked at Yusuke with what appeared to be genuine affection. "Yes, Yusuke has been a great blessing to me. Acting as a father to him has enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined."

Yusuke beamed and dipped his head. "It has been my honor, Sensei."

Goro's mouth twitched. Madarame's answer sounded so rehearsed to his ears, and Goro was sure that the artist had said something nearly identical to every patron at this exhibit, yet he couldn't help feeling envious. He exchanged a few more pleasantries as if on autopilot and bowed again as Madarame took his leave.

Yusuke turned to Goro, still wearing a genuine smile. "I am glad that you could meet my sensei. He is always so courteous to others. It is one of the characteristics I admire most about him."

That sounded a bit rehearsed to Goro, as well. "And he treats you well?"

"Of course," Yusuke stuttered. "He has been incredibly generous to me. Were it not for him, I would likely be in a situation similar to yours." He tilted his head as he reconsidered. "Then again, you seem to be doing quite well."

"I'm grateful to hear that I give off that impression, but you must have access to many valuable resources that a regular foster home couldn't provide."

"You are correct. I have been very fortunate to study under such a brilliant mind."

They chatted for a bit longer about Madarame and themselves; Goro learned that Yusuke was planning to apply to Kosei high school later in the year, so he would be busy assembling a portfolio in the coming months. Yusuke also mentioned taking great inspiration from the Sayuri, which had always been on display at Madarame's exhibits until it was stolen. He showed a picture of it to Goro and discussed its emotional complexity for some time, after which they both fell silent for a while. Maternal love seemed distant to both of them.

Goro checked his watch, feeling a cold pang of fear as he noted the time. "It's getting a bit late. I should head home soon." He smiled up at Yusuke. "It was lovely catching up with you. May we exchange contact information?"

"Of course." Yusuke took a small notebook and a pen from his pocket. "I do not have a cell phone, and Sensei does not appreciate distractions in the evening, so I will only be able to call you after school from our home phone."

"My foster family is the same way, so that works perfectly." Goro accepted the contact information and wrote his phone number and address in the book. "Between three and five o'clock in the afternoon is the best time. Perhaps we can work out another in-person meeting." He glanced around to make sure Madarame wasn't close by, then stepped in a bit closer. "If you ever need someone to confide in, I'm here. Please don't hesitate to reach out."

Judging by Yusuke's puzzled expression, he had not taken the hint. Goro tried again. "If your guardian is mistreating you, we can find ways to get you out of your situation. I have some experience with this myself."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "I am... not being mistreated, and I do not know what could possibly have given you that impression." His expression relaxed into a soft smile. "But I appreciate your concern. I will be in touch."

Goro nodded. "Until later, then." He turned and exited the exhibit, trying not to think or feel anything until he was seated on his train home. It took monumental effort to resist going back and spending more time with the only friend he had ever made, but he managed to make it out of the building without looking back. Once the train car shuddered into motion, Goro's thoughts moved with it.

Why would Madarame deny Yusuke contact with a friend? What motivations would he have for exerting such tight control over a three year-old child? What were his past and current motivations for keeping Yusuke under his care?

Alternately, perhaps Goro was overthinking and neither letter had been sent to the correct location. Goro had provided Yusuke with the group home's address and copied the characters for Yusuke's new address, so, if he had made an error, it wasn't inconceivable that there had been some sort of mix-up. Then again, if Madarame was truly the kind guardian that he seemed, he would have known the group home's address and written the correct information on the envelope. 

On top of that, even though he had been lost in his musings, Goro noticed Yusuke had spoken passionately about the painting that he showed Goro. He also had to pause several times while describing it, as though rephrasing what he wanted to say. It was possible that Madarame had taken the idea behind the painting from Yusuke and then forbade Yusuke from rightfully claiming the concept as his own. Considering the number of pupils Madarame had in the past, he may have taken "inspiration" from many of them. Goro would have to look further into that later; he also didn't have access to a computer at the apartment, which made research difficult. He could always lie about the time of orchestra practices and use one of the library's computers after school, or just use his cell phone.

Goro leaned back in his seat and stared at the subway ceiling. The signs of abuse that he had seen in Yusuke were all too familiar: the eagerness to please, the carefully chosen words, the denial of help, and the denial that anything was wrong even when all the signs were there. 

Maybe Goro couldn't help himself, but he could save Yusuke.

\--- 

**April 15, 2014 (Tuesday)**

After using his lunch break and time after school to dig into Madarame's history, Goro came up with very little information. That in itself was suspicious; one would think that the pupils of such a well-known artist would go on to have illustrious careers, but the names of Madarame's former students were nearly impossible to find. Finding information on Yusuke was difficult, as well; Goro could only find the interview from the past week and recent articles that mentioned a "promising young pupil" without providing a name. 

It seemed that someone was either covering up information or that Madarame’s pupils did not truly go on to champion successful careers. This was especially strange, as every interview with Madarame mentioned his supposedly wonderful track record as a mentor.

Someone bumped into Goro from behind, and he leaned against a wall in the station square to steady himself. Finding anyone who had anything negative to say about Madarame would be a challenge, especially with Goro's limited freedom; finding a former pupil seemed nearly impossible. He looked around, feeling as though a filter separated him from everyone else. Not one person looked in his direction. If he dropped dead here on the street, no one would care, so they certainly wouldn't care about the crimes of some artist. Celebrities came and went, anyway; Madarame and all his pupils would be forgotten to make way for the next trend.

Goro ran his fingertips across the rough stone behind him, which brought him back to reality. His existence might not matter to anyone, but at least he would always remember Yusuke.

Yusuke Kitagawa, who didn't want his help and probably hadn't thought of him once since yesterday.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked more closely around—for what, he didn’t know. Paradoxically, as he focused, his surroundings darkened. He tried to adjust his vision, but the darkness stayed. Goro raised a hand to his head and noticed that one person stood out from the crowd; a teenager in dirty clothes sat next to a subway entrance, and he was the only person who had not faded to grayscale. 

Goro approached the other person and called out to him. As soon as he did so, his peripheral vision returned to normal. Still processing the change, he did not hear the first time that the other person responded.

"What do you want?" the stranger repeated.

"Oh," Goro said. "I was... wondering what you were doing here. Don't you have anywhere else to go?"

The stranger shook his head. "Can't you tell I'm homeless? There's nowhere for me to go and no one who cares about me." He picked at the shoelace of one tattered sneaker. "You're the first person who's talked to me in days."

Goro instantly felt a kinship to this person, although he reprimanded himself for feeling that way; their situations weren't comparable. At least Goro had somewhere to stay. Not sure what to say next, he asked, "Do you ever feel different from other people?"

"'Course." The stranger scoffed. "He told me I was different, that I was special. I wanted to believe him so much that I didn't notice him screwing me over." He gestured to the crowd around them. "Now I certainly feel different, but it doesn't feel good."

"'He?'" Goro repeated. "Who are you talking about?"

"Doesn't do me any good to say the name. You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Goro frowned. "What does it matter if I believe you? I'm just a stranger. You have no reason to care about my opinion." He often told himself the same thing when other students gossiped about him, but that didn't stop him from caring about what they thought.

The stranger shook his head. "So if I told you that it was that famous artist Madarame who screwed me over and then you spat in my face, I'm not supposed to care?"

"Madarame." This was too much to be a coincidence. Something else was going on. Goro took a deep breath and sat next to the stranger. "Please tell me more. I know a current pupil of his, and I fear that he's in danger."

"I can guarantee you he is." The stranger shifted a bit farther away from Goro and stared ahead. "I studied under Madarame with a few other students, and we all lived with him in his shitty shack. He'd talk us up so we'd be all motivated to work hard and make a lot of art, and then he'd take it all and show it off in his exhibits. He'd retitle most of our pieces to something that completely bastardized the intended meanings." He clenched his fists. "Once he got famous enough, some of the pupils started moving out really suddenly. When I asked what was up, he'd give some vague reason like they went to study somewhere else or they wanted to set off on their own. But none of them ever even mentioned anything like that to me, so I should've known something was up." Now he looked at Goro. "I didn't have anywhere else to go, though, so I didn't question it after he gave me those shoddy explanations. I just kept doing what he wanted because it was easier for me."

Goro swallowed and worked to control his breathing. This situation, too, paralleled his own, but he had to stay focused. "So you must have lived with Madarame until relatively recently. Was there another pupil named Yusuke that you knew?"

"Oh, Yusuke? Yeah, I knew him for a while." The stranger looked back to the street. "He was always the favorite. Kinda weird, but most artists are. He's just weirder than most."

"Could I have your name and contact information, please? I feel that your testimony could be valuable if Madarame ever goes to court."

The stranger snorted, then laughed out loud. "What, a kid's gonna expose the guy who's been conning people for decades? Good luck." He glanced at Goro's notebook, still grinning. "But fine. My name’s Kyo Maki, and I can't pay for a cell phone plan. I do have an email, though."

"And do you have the names of any other former pupils?"

Goro wrote down the information that Kyo gave him and closed his notebook with a smile. "Thank you very much for speaking with me today. I have a train to catch, but I will be in touch. Perhaps I will see you here again soon."

Kyo hugged his knees to his chest. "I'm basically here all day."

"Ah. Yes, I'm sorry that I can't help you more at the moment." Goro frowned. "My current living situation is quite precarious. I will probably face serious consequences for coming home late tonight, so I couldn't possibly offer you a place to stay."

"Well, get going, then." Kyo waved him off. "Thanks for talking with me, anyway."

"Of course." Goro stood and bowed his head. "Take care of yourself."

He walked away, taking long strides as if to distance himself from the unusual events. Nothing about Kyo seemed supernatural, yet he had stood out from the crowd and just happened to be the one person that could further Goro's investigation. As he waited in line for his train, he focused his vision again and nearly stumbled backwards at the change; everything again faded into the background, but, this time, no one stood out. He closed his eyes and reopened them to the normal sights of the subway.

"What's happening?" he whispered. The sound was lost even to his own ears, and his eyes slid shut again as he raised one hand to his chest. Goro maybe could have blamed it on exhaustion, but everything lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence or a product of his tired mind.

Goro was torn between these strange happenings and the very present, real danger of arriving back to the apartment too late. He checked the time on his phone and swore under his breath; even if he boarded the train right this instant, he would never get home on time. He tried to resolve himself to his punishment to quell the fear, but it didn't do much. 

His shaky breaths halted as a strange icon appeared on his phone screen. It froze all other activity both on the screen and all around him, and the complete silence sent a shiver through Goro. He looked around, gripping his phone tightly, and saw a red light emanating from the top of the stairs. As if on autopilot, he ascended, taking two stairs at a time until he reached the station square. From there, he followed flashes of light and fire down to a different part of the subway. Black and red streaks appeared along the walls as he descended, and the silence gave way to faint groans and howling wind. As he reached an empty platform and stood at its edge, the sounds grew louder. Goro could feel goosebumps forming beneath his school jacket.

A scream cut over all other noise, and Goro's head whipped around as he searched for its source. It sounded quite close; it could be just around the corner.

He should find a way back. He was already late, and there would be serious consequences—

"Help! Please, someone!"

But that voice was, in fact, just around the corner, and something darted into his line of vision in the next moment.

"Hey, you! Help!"

Goro bent at the knees, ready to run from the danger but allowing it to approach. Some type of bipedal creature with an absurdly large head ran towards him, and a towering, deformed monster whipped around the corner in pursuit. As Goro stood paralyzed, the creature reached the platform and attempted to jump up, but its legs gave out. Without thinking, Goro stooped to help it up, then held it to his chest as he darted up the stairs. Another roar shook the tunnel, and Goro stumbled before continuing on. The form in his arms went limp.

At the top of the stairs, Goro set the creature down and unlocked his phone with shaky hands. He found the strange app and hit the icon again.

"Do you wish to return to the real world?" it asked.

Goro's voice cracked as he said, "Yes."

"Thank you for your hard work today," it said.

"What?"

There were no more prompts from the app, and, when Goro looked up from his phone, he was back on the train platform. Everyone around him went about their routines as normal, though some spared glances at the cat sleeping on the ground. Goro frowned, wiped his eyes, and knelt down. The cat wore a yellow scarf like the creature from earlier, but it looked completely different. Just like a normal cat.

He reached out a hand and placed it on the cat's head, flinching away the moment he made contact. The cat didn't move, so he picked it up and took it to a less crowded area of the platform. Goro leaned against the wall and slid down, still cradling the cat as he brought his knees close to his chest.

He didn't know what was going on, but the creature was breathing. That was something, at least. Goro steadied his own breaths until they fell in rhythm with the cat's. Once he had staved off panic, he considered checking the time again, but that would just undo everything he had done to calm himself. He reflected on what just happened instead.

In contrast with the tangled web around Madarame that he was just beginning to unravel, everything he had just done seemed simple. All he had done was follow signals that were provided for him and answer a call for help. It was terrifying, certainly, but there had been something intuitive about the whole process. Streamlined.

After a few more minutes, the cat stirred, and Goro set it down on the ground just before it opened its eyes. It sounded very human-like as it groaned, and it spoke to him in the same voice as before. "Did we get out?"

Well. All things considered, a talking cat in the regular world was far less bizarre than whatever had happened a few minutes ago. Goro nodded in response to the question.

"Good." The cat straightened up and flicked its tail. "Thank you for helping me."

"What do you know about that other world?" Goro could feel passersby staring at him as he spoke quietly to an animal on the subway floor, but getting information was crucial. "Are you from there?"

"I don't remember anything," the cat said. He furrowed his brow. "I feel like I'm from there, but I don't know much about it."

"Do you have a name?"

"Morgana," he answered immediately. "What's yours?"

Goro paused as he considered which name to give. "Akechi."

"Well, Akechi," Morgana said, "it seems to me like most humans can't go into that other world. You must be special." He propped his two front paws up on Goro's knee. "I'm gonna stick with you until I can figure out what's going on."

Goro glared down at the cat. "No. That's not possible for quite a few reasons."

Morgana's ears flattened against his head, and he dropped back to the floor. "Why not? You just helped me—even though I could've gotten out of there by myself, by the way—and now you're telling me to get lost. What's the deal?"

"The _deal_ ," Goro seethed, "is that I know nothing about you. You expect me to believe that you forgot everything except your name, yet still hold the knowledge that there are two distinct worlds?"

"They're not distinct," Morgana interjected. "I think that they have a deep connection."

"You're not helping your case.” Goro sighed and spared a glance around the station. “Even if I could trust you, there is no way that you could stay with me. I can't go home with a cat and expect my... parents to let me keep it."

"I'm not a cat." Morgana looked down at his paws, eyes narrowed. "I think. Right?"

"You look like one to me."

The fur on Morgana's back fluffed up. "Well, what do you know? You couldn't even summon a Persona to save me! And a cat wouldn't be able to use a Persona, so there."

"A Persona?" Goro repeated.

"I won't tell you more unless you agree to help me," Morgana said, puffing out his chest. "If you're gonna be a jerk, I'm not talking to you about any of the important stuff."

Goro closed his eyes again as he evaluated his options. He had foolishly told the cat his real name, and he still hadn't completely calmed down. He needed more time to think about this, and there was absolutely nowhere in the house that Morgana could stay without drawing suspicion from his foster family.

No, what was he thinking? He shouldn't even consider letting Morgana stay with him; he didn't know anything about him. Why was he running from those monsters in the first place? Did he have some sort of objective in mind in going to that other world? Could he switch forms at will?

Goro could at least answer that last question. He took out his phone again and activated the app, turning Morgana back into his bipedal form and the subway into some sort of hellish vortex.

"Hey!" Morgana yowled. "We shouldn't be here; we both need time to rest. It's too dangerous with the Shadows around."

"Shadows?"

"Yeah, the things that were attacking me." Morgana pointed a paw to Goro's nose. "If they're evil and they were attacking me, I must be good! So you should trust me."

"What makes you think they're evil?"

Morgana lowered his paw with a glare. "I just know that they are, okay? It should've been obvious from just looking at them."

"Appearances can be deceptive."

"Whatever," Morgana huffed. "Just get us out of here!"

Goro sighed and followed the phone prompts to return to the regular subway. "Why'd you do that?" Morgana asked.

"I wanted to see if your form would change again," Goro said. "Can you switch on your own, or is it automatic?"

Morgana scrunched his face for a moment, but nothing happened. "I guess it's automatic. It's probably better this way, anyway; all these people would get pretty freaked out otherwise."

"They're probably disturbed enough watching a teenager talk to a cat," Goro muttered, hugging his knees in closer to hide his mouth. 

Morgana somehow managed to shrug. "I've already seen weirder, and they probably have, too." He waited a moment for Goro to respond. "C'mon. I feel like we're supposed to help each other, so just lemme go with you!" He looked to the subway tracks. "Plus, I've never ridden a train before. It'll be fun."

Goro must have been pretty desperate to open up to someone, because he said, "My foster parents will not take kindly to having a cat in the house. I am already in deep trouble for being out this late."

"You're an orphan?" Morgana asked, eyes wide.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose."

"I don't know what that means."

Goro sighed again. "It's complicated. You don't need to know all the details." 

"Well, whatever. I'll be real sneaky, I promise. You won't even know I'm there."

"Don't you need to eat? They'll be suspicious if my room smells like cat food."

"Oh, yeah." Morgana looked around, tail swishing. "Well, I'll figure something out. Maybe you can raid your fridge once we get back and find me something."

Goro shrugged his bag off his shoulder. "I don't have the freedom to do that. You may have to fend for yourself in that regard."

"But you're letting me come along?"

Morgana was already walking toward the bag, so Goro just nodded. He really needed this day to end, but there were several more hurdles to clear before he that could happen.

Or he could just run away. The possibility occurred to him often, but he pushed the thought away; it was foolish and pointless, as the police could easily track him down and force him into a situation much worse than his current one.

Goro held the bag open as Morgana stepped in, then zipped it shut most of the way. "When we arrive there, I'm leaving you outside. They're sure to check my bag, so it's up to you to find your own way in."

Only one of Morgana's eyes could peer out from the tiny gap. "How am I supposed to know which apartment is yours?"

"There's a fire escape by my window. It's on the third floor." Goro stood and readjusted the bag. "Figure it out. Once I let you in, you need to be completely silent."

"Yeah, okay, but can you give me some more breathing room right now? I'm gonna suffocate in here!"

Goro tugged part of the zipper back open as he walked back to his line. He checked the time again: past six o'clock. They were definitely home by now, but they had no way to contact him, since they never bothered paying for a plan for his cell phone. He was sure that they could find a way, though, if they really needed to.

He suppressed a shudder and stepped onto the train.

\---

Later that night, Goro finally entered his room. He adjusted his ice pack and set his bag down, then went to the window to wait for Morgana. He raked his nails along his side with his free hand, trying to calm himself with the repetitive motion.

Crying was pointless. It wouldn't accomplish anything. He'd just have to be more careful in the future.

Goro took deep breaths in through his nose and out his mouth as he stood still. By the time a pair of blue eyes flashed by his window, he had stopped shaking. He opened the window slowly to minimize noise, and Morgana slipped in.

"What happened?" he asked immediately. Goro held a finger to his lips and shook his head.

"I already told you," Goro mouthed. He pressed the finger more insistently against his mouth and closed the window.

Morgana padded to the middle of the room and looked around. Apparently unimpressed, he lay down near the futon and pointed to his stomach as best as he could. Goro shook his head again; he hadn't eaten, either, so they would both have to go without for the night.

He started on his homework, but his thoughts wouldn't focus on one topic. As much as he tried to control his emotions, his fury almost boiled over; coming home an hour late did not deserve such a punishment. What had he done to deserve living with a family that would not allow him even the most basic freedoms, that would deny him food, affection, communication with others? Was being born to a scumbag of a father such a heinous crime that he would have to suffer for the rest of his life?

Goro startled as something brushed against his leg. Morgana had headbutted him and was looking up with sympathetic eyes.

"Go to sleep," Goro mouthed.

Morgana sighed through his nose and jumped onto the desk. "You won't get any work done like this," he whispered. "You're too upset. You should just get some rest, okay?"

"No. I have to do this."

"But why? Isn't your health more important?"

Goro shook his head. "This is what everyone expects me to—"

Something in the house creaked, and he froze. They both turned to look at the door, but any other sounds that Goro could have picked up were drowned out by his hammering heart and shaky breaths. It made him grateful that Morgana was there to listen for him.

After several moments passed without any further motion or noise, Goro hung his head. Morgana inched a little closer and whispered, "We'll talk in the morning. Just don't overdo it, okay?" He sniffed. "Plus, I won't be able to sleep if you keep the light on for a long time."

Goro pointed at the blanket and then covered his eyes. It took a moment for Morgana to interpret the gesture, but he soon jumped down from the desk and burrowed under the blanket to muffle the light and sound. Goro attempted to return to his work, but he ended up stewing in his seat for some time longer. 

It was disgusting how quickly he had allowed Morgana into his life. After a friendless decade, he was apparently so desperate for companionship that he would take in a creature with strange powers, uncharted depths of knowledge, and amnesia that may or may not have been faked. Goro already felt some attachment to the cat he had saved, even if Morgana was transparently using him to get more information.

What else would he do for approval, or even simple recognition? For all he knew, he was putting himself in danger by interacting so closely with Morgana, and the investigation he began today could certainly yield dangerous results. How far could he go?

There was no definite answer, but he had some idea. He gripped his head and shut his eyes, trying to remember the information from class to drown out everything else. He could do this. He had to.

As usual, he didn't get much sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: To clarify, Morgana has just been "born" in this fic! We know that Igor created Morgana around the time that Yaldabaoth took over the Velvet Room and put his plan into motion, so, when Akechi meets Morgana here, he's just escaped the depths of Mementos. That's why his character is a little bit different, and he won't know as much about how to help guide others through the Metaverse at first (but he'll still do his best!)
> 
> Also, Kyo does appear in the actual game as a nameless teenager; you can find him in the Shibuya station square during the Madarame plot. I just made up a name for him here.
> 
> If anything else needs clarification, please ask! I appreciate any and all comments. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you're as excited for the rest of the story as I am!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a little self-conscious about this chapter because it feels mostly like a rewrite of stuff that already happened in the game, just from a different perspective?? Like the characters are learning what they need to learn but we as an audience already know bc we’ve played the damn game? I tried to keep that exposition short and focus more on character reactions/interactions! Things start poppin off after this chapter :) thank you to everyone who's read/left kudos/commented so far!!

**April 16, 2014 (Wednesday)**

Goro was sore when he awoke, and he sat up slowly to scan the room. Morgana was asleep a few inches from his side, but he was starting to stir awake. The unfinished homework from last night still sat on his desk; he'd have to finish it on the subway ride to school.

Morgana yawned and stretched himself into a standing position. "Are you gonna eat soon?" he asked. "I'm starving."

Goro placed a finger to his lips and nodded. His foster parents usually left for work before he woke up for the day, but he had to check to make sure. "Wait here," he mouthed. He listened at the door, and, after a few moments, stepped into the common room. No one was around, but he still held up a hand to indicate that Morgana should wait for a bit longer. 

He shut his bedroom door behind him and ate breakfast in the dining room, then found some leftovers for Morgana. He brought them to his room and leaned against the wall as Morgana ate. "So we can finally talk about what happened yesterday. What do you know about those Shadows and Personas that you mentioned?"

"Not much." Morgana nudged the food with his nose before taking another bite. "I have something called a Persona that I can use to fight Shadows. It's a special power that I don't think many humans have; I awoke to it when I was in danger in Mementos, which is how I managed to get as far as I did."

"How did you awake to it?"

"I don't really remember."

Goro frowned. "Didn't it just happen yesterday?"

"I don't know." Morgana licked the plate a few times, then sat up. "It's almost impossible to get a sense of time down there. I don't know how long I was avoiding the Shadows, but some of them must have found me and forced the awakening."

"Where were you coming from? Is there something in... ‘Mementos’ that you were looking for?"

Morgana sighed through his nose. "I don't remember that, either. I basically told you everything I know, and it's not a lot. I think there might be other places like Mementos, though, or maybe different points of entry. We should look for them later."

Goro picked up the plate and went to wash it in the kitchen, Morgana padding behind him. "You still want me to work with you after seeing what my living situation is like? I don't exactly have a lot of freedom to move around this world, much less another one that neither of us knows anything about."

"Actually, I feel like I know a lot about it. I just need something to jog my memory." Morgana hopped onto the counter. "And I don't know how to get back to that world on my own. How did you end up there, anyway?"

"I think it had something to do with my phone. An app showed up and activated on its own, and it allowed me to navigate back and forth between worlds after that."

"Oh, so that's what you did!" Morgana's ears perked up. "I was wondering how you sent us back there after I ran into you yesterday."

"You avoided my question, by the way." Goro set the clean dishes into the drying rack and returned to his room to get ready for school. "Why do you want to work with me?"

Morgana continued to follow him around the house. "You're the only person I know of that has that app, and it'd be really hard to try and find someone else. Sure, you're in a bad situation, but I think you're special. We can work around it and help each other out."

"Special," Goro repeated. His fingers twitched on the handle of his bag. "You think there was some reason that the app was put on my phone specifically?"

"Well, duh. Whatever created that other world must've picked you to be able to go there, so there must be something that you need to do there. There might be other people like you in the city, too."

Goro finished packing his bag and held it open to allow Morgana in. "But I don't know if I can use a Persona yet. I won't be able to defend myself without one, correct?"

"Probably correct," Morgana conceded, "but we can sneak around the Shadows whenever we need to. It seems you've already developed a lot of stealth skills, so those'll come in handy. Plus, I can defend you if we end up in danger."

Considering the state that he had found Morgana in yesterday, Goro doubted that, but there wasn't much of a point in saying that out loud. They would just have to be careful. "Fine. Shall we go later today? I’ll have a few hours at most before I’ll need to come home."

"Let's do it!" 

With that decided, Goro went about his day as normal. Below the surface, he was quite distracted with thoughts of Morgana, Yusuke, Kyo, and Madarame. Were all the events connected somehow? Was there a way he could help Yusuke and everyone else that Madarame had wronged using that other world? Goro didn't understand how it all worked yet, so he would have to rely on Morgana for help.

It had been so long since he had genuinely placed his trust in someone. After Yusuke left the group home, Goro learned that he couldn't trust adults or other children, and especially not any of the foster families he was placed with. They all had some ulterior motive: tax benefits, garnering sympathy, and even, in one case, using him in some attempt to save a failing marriage.

At least with Morgana, his ulterior motive was out in the open; he was using Goro for information. That was fine, since Goro needed the information, too. If he could find some way to become stronger and force a confession from Madarame, he could help Yusuke out of his abusive living situation.

Goro's train of thought froze there. If Madarame went to jail, where would Yusuke go? He would most likely be sent to live in foster care, which could land him in an even worse situation. Goro certainly couldn't offer him a place to stay, but Yusuke had mentioned applying to Kosei. The school offered dorms for students; perhaps there was some way he could live there.

He was getting ahead of himself. Right now, all he had to do was work with Morgana while avoiding suspicion. That was enough by itself; he didn't need to overwhelm himself with thoughts of the future.

Over the next few days, he and Morgana explored Mementos for an hour at a time, with Morgana steadily remembering more information. To advance their investigation, Goro told him more about the conflicts surrounding Madarame, and Morgana proposed that Madarame might have something called a Palace. He explained what basic information he had managed to remember—the question of what Morgana was and how he knew all this information would have to remain on the back burner for now—and suggested going to Madarame's home to scout around.

That Friday, Goro got home from school as quickly as possible and called Yusuke.

"Ichiryusai Madarame's residence. With whom am I speaking?"

Goro's shoulders relaxed as soon as he heard Yusuke's voice; Madarame wasn’t home yet. "Hello, Yusuke. This is Goro."

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise!" Yusuke's tone lost its rigid formality, and Goro held back a smile. He could feel Morgana staring at him. "I have been thinking of you all week, but it has been quite busy with the exhibit. This is my first free afternoon in some time."

In most situations, there was usually some sort of social script Goro could follow, but he had never spoken to a friend over the phone before. His skills in this particular area were a bit rusty. "I'm... sorry to hear that you've been so busy. Has Madarame been overworking you?"

"No, nothing like that. I enjoy assisting him in whatever way I can, and he has told me before that he appreciates the support. He actually insisted that I take the night off, which was quite generous of him."

"I see." Goro doubted that Madarame was so selfless. "Are you free tomorrow, as well? If possible, I'd like to stop by your house and see more of your artwork."

"That would be wonderful. Please come by as soon as you are able." As Goro tried to process the warm tone in Yusuke's voice, he almost missed a question: "You still have the address that I wrote down for you at the exhibit, yes?"

"Yes," Goro stuttered. "I'll be there after school tomorrow."

"Wonderful," Yusuke repeated. "I look forward to it."

"Yes. I will see you then."

There was a pause in which neither person hung up. Goro swallowed and added, "Goodbye," then replaced the phone into the receiver.

"You don't talk on the phone a lot, huh," Morgana concluded.

"Considering my living situation, it's rather rude of you to point that out." Goro waved Morgana back into his room, where they would likely stay for the rest of the night. His foster parents sometimes went out on Friday or Saturday nights, but they had been keeping a closer watch on him after he came home later; he had to stay in line for a while longer. "I'm sure you've noticed that I have no one to talk to at school, either. It's generally considered hurtful to say such things aloud."

"Maybe having a bunch of friends is overrated, anyway." Goro wasn't looking at Morgana, but his tone sounded sympathetic. Goro wasn't sure how to feel about that. "At least we have an in now. We should try activating the app at Madarame's house to see what happens. Maybe it's a part of Mementos that we couldn't normally get to."

Goro sat at his desk to start his homework. "Are you suggesting that we bring Yusuke into this? It's difficult enough for the two of us to sneak around undetected—adding more people would complicate matters."

"Yeah, but we need all the help we can get." Morgana walked over the desktop and stood on top of Goro's papers, swishing his tail. "We still don't know if you can use a Persona yet or what the requirements are for getting one. Just from what I remember about my time in Mementos, it seems like you need to go through some dangerous or traumatic event to trigger the awakening, so maybe anyone can become a Persona user in the right circumstance."

"You want us to deliberately put ourselves in danger," Goro clarified. He tried to shoo Morgana off his history homework, but the cat stayed firmly put and batted Goro's hand in retaliation.

"It seems like the only way we'll know for sure. Don't you wanna find out for yourself?" 

Goro nodded. "I would also like to finish my work, if you don't mind terribly."

"You're always working," Morgana complained. "It's so boring here!"

"Such is the life of a student."

"Even students need to relax once in a while." Morgana sat on top of Goro's papers and looked around the room. "It's been a hard week—we should do something fun tonight. Do you have any games?"

"Of course not," Goro scoffed. "Does it look like I have the time to waste?"

"Well, get a game on your phone or something. Or read a book to me! I'm very interested in what's popular to humans right now."

"If you don't have memories, how do you have any concept of how a normal student would spend their time?" Goro took a textbook from his bag and started reading that instead. "Regardless, I am far from a normal student. I have to keep working to prove myself."

Morgana huffed and stood. "Fine. Then lemme out so I can explore."

"Gladly." Goro leaned to the right to open his window. "Just be back later tonight, and be careful not to be seen."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Chest puffed out, Morgana strode to the windowsill. "You won't even notice me coming back in."

True to his word, Goro didn't hear another sound as Morgana took his leave. Though Goro was relieved to have time to work, the room felt a familiar type of lonely, heightened by the fact that someone _had_ been here and left because his company wasn’t interesting enough.

He pushed the feeling aside and focused for the rest of the evening.

\---

**April 19, 2014 (Saturday)**

Goro double-checked Yusuke's address and the house number. "This seems to be the right place," he said.

Morgana poked his head out of Goro's school bag. "Geez, what a dump. Try activating the app and see if anything happens."

Goro took his phone from his pocket and tapped the icon, but nothing happened. Morgana huffed. "Maybe we're too far from the subway?" His tail flicked against the sides of the bag. "Why does such a famous artist live in some shack like this, anyway? You'd think he'd have some glamorous apartment in the center of the city."

The world turned red at the edges, and Goro held a hand to his head. However, when he looked back up, everything had returned to normal.

"What was that?" Morgana asked. "Did it do something?"

Goro looked closer at his screen for clues, but the app interface looked the same. "It seemed to respond to something you said."

"Should we just keep talking at it and see what else happens?"

"I'd like to speak with Yusuke." Goro stared at his phone for a moment longer before putting it back in his pocket. "He can tell us more, and I can warn him of the danger that he's in." He waited, staring at Morgana. "That means you have to go back into the bag."

"It's so hard to breathe in here," Morgana complained, but he burrowed back in. Goro knocked, since there was no doorbell, and Yusuke opened the door about a minute later.

"Oh, Goro, it's you! Please, come in."

The way that Yusuke said his name was, again, very distracting, and Morgana had to bump Goro in the side through the bag for him to go through the door.

"I'm afraid that I don't actually have that many pieces to show you—I've mostly been sketching lately and generating ideas for my portfolio, and the quality of my older art is too shameful to show." Yusuke led him through a small common room and up a creaky set of stairs. Goro noted the conspicuously locked door on the way and started forming a mental map of the house. "Actually, I was just thinking this week that I would appreciate having a model to reference. I have been working alone in the studio for quite some time, so having a live subject could breathe new life into my work. Does that sound agreeable to you?"

"He's really weird," Morgana whispered, voice muffled through the canvas fabric. Goro adjusted the bag on his shoulder a bit more abruptly than he needed to.

"Yes, it does," Goro said to Yusuke, "but I'm afraid that my schedule is rather tight. My foster parents want me to be home most of the time, so I'll have to leave by 4:00 today and any other time in the future."

Yusuke turned from his pile of notebooks, clutching one to his chest. "I completely forgot to ask you about your living situation," he gasped. "I apologize for my selfishness. We have much to catch up on." He sat in a metal folding chair and gestured at an identical seat across from him. "Please get comfortable. I must hear of everything that has happened to you since we parted ways."

Morgana groaned, and Goro set his bag down with a thud. "I don't know if I have the time to tell you everything," he laughed, "but I can give you the highlights. It's not exactly a happy story, though."

Goro briefly recounted his time at the group home and living with several foster families. He tried not to go into explicit details about the various types of mistreatment he had suffered, as he knew that Morgana was listening closely and could exploit any knowledge later if he turned out not to be trustworthy. 

He didn't mention that he had tracked down his biological father. It wasn't worth burdening anyone else with.

Yusuke's gaze remained on him, never wavering as he spoke. "And who gave you that bruise?"

"Oh." Goro touched the gray-brown mark on his arm. No one at school had noticed, so he just assumed that it didn’t stick out. Perhaps no one payed him enough attention to notice. "This is from when I came home late earlier this week."

"Was that because you came to the exhibit? Did I keep you for too long?" Yusuke reached out and placed a hand over Goro's. "I cannot bear to think that I was the cause of this. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I will do all I can to—"

"I... no, it wasn't your fault at all." Goro lowered his hand back to his thigh, and Yusuke broke contact. It helped his heart rate settle, but it also reminded him how starved for touch he was. "I actually ran into a former pupil of Madarame's on my way back from the exhibit, and I spent quite some time talking with him."

Goro's vision pulsed red again, and he clenched his fists. In the meantime, Yusuke straightened up, eyes wide. "How serendipitous. Is he doing well? Are you familiar with any of his work?"

"He said he knew you. Do you remember Kyo Maki?"

"Yes, of course." Yusuke's expression relaxed into a smile. "We were never very close, but he was kind enough, and very talented. He left a few years ago to pursue a degree in fine arts."

"Is that what Madarame told you?"

Yusuke nodded. "Many of the other pupils who studied in this house went down a similar path. I imagine that they have all gone on to live successful lives by now."

"I don't mean to alarm you, but Kyo has been homeless ever since he left here." Goro looked away from Yusuke's mouth, which had fallen open in shock. "He's been spending most of his time in the Shibuya station square, and he had quite a few disparaging things to say about Madarame." He summarized what he had learned to Yusuke and concluded by saying, "I am afraid that a similar fate will befall you in a few years. I haven't been able to find any information on Madarame's pupils. Even their names are not easily accessible. As you said earlier, one would think that the students of such a well-known artist would be guaranteed successful careers, but this is not the case. There’s almost no digital trail for any one of them, and if I were able to visit any museums in the area, I doubt I would find any pieces by them on display—it's as though they are ejected entirely from the art world after they leave here."

Goro's gaze returned to Yusuke to study his reaction. However, before either could say anything more, the world faded to a hazy mix of red and black, and Goro forced his eyes to remain open as the shift occurred. The small room turned to a lavish lounge with near-blinding amounts of gold shining from the floor and walls.

Yusuke looked around with wide eyes while Goro squinted to adjust to the change. On the floor, Morgana's back legs wiggled out of the small opening in Goro's bag, the rest of his torso and head still stuck inside.

"Lemme out!" he said, voice still muffled. Yusuke startled and looked to the source of the noise, still staring as Goro knelt to zip the bag open. Morgana wormed his way out of the bag and held his head in his paws. "Okay, that's it, Akechi. I demand better treatment than being stuffed in that bag! You need to buy me a carrying case or something. But, like, a really comfy one."

"Everyone will know I'm carrying a cat around if I do that. It'd be rather conspicuous." Goro tilted his head toward Yusuke. "In any case, you're being rude. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Right!" Morgana turned and waved. "I'm Morgana. I've been with Akechi for a few days"—and here Goro realized, stupidly late, that Morgana now knew his first name from eavesdropping on his conversations with Yusuke—"to show him around this place. It's kinda dangerous, but if we sneak around, we should be fine." Morgana briefly explained everything else they knew about Personas, Shadows, and Mementos.

"Do you think this is part of Mementos?" Goro asked at the end. "It already feels quite different."

"I don't really know," Morgana said, raising a paw to his chin. "We'll just have to look around the Palace and investigate."

"Palace?" Yusuke echoed.

“I don’t know much about Palaces yet," Morgana admitted, “but I’m sure we’ll find out lots here. It’s sure to jog my memory!” He hopped up and down in place. "Let's get moving! Yusuke, try to keep up."

While Morgana ran for the door, Goro turned to Yusuke with a small smile. "Are you alright? I can take you back if this is too much."

"No, I..." Yusuke touched the back of a nearby chair and seemed surprised that it was solid. "This is bizarre, but I would like to look into it." He looked up at Goro, now gripping the chair with both hands. "And you can get us out at any time?"

"Yes, with the app that Morgana was talking about earlier." Goro showed Yusuke the icon on his phone. "It appeared on my phone this week, and it appears that I can use it to navigate between this world and the one we're more familiar with."

Yusuke examined the icon for a few moments before looking up with a bewildered smile. "I trust you to lead us out safely, then. Let us go."

They peeked out the door with Morgana and saw an iridescent pool of water just outside. Proceeding carefully, they made their way around the pond and darted ahead to the entrance of an open area. 

"It doesn't look like there are any enemies around," Morgana whispered. "There's some kind of security system that keeps them from needing to guard."

"Is there a way through it?" Goro asked.

"I'll check. You guys wait here." Morgana darted into the open space and returned a few minutes later. "No good. I can see what's on the other side of all the blockades, but it doesn't look like there's any way to actually get there right now." 

Yusuke pointed down a hallway to their right. "Shall we check that way instead?"

"Good thinking! We might find something to help us proceed over there." Morgana ducked from corner to corner, motioning for the other two to follow him. 

They made their way through quite a few rooms, sneaking past Shadows that took the form of security guards, until they reached a lobby with a tall, thin statue in the middle. Yusuke ran ahead to the bottom of the stairs, and, after, a shocked moment, Goro and Morgana followed.

"Don't just go off on your own like that!" Morgana hissed, crouching down at Yusuke's side. "You could get seriously hurt."

Yusuke was reading the inscription on the statue out loud. The desperate confusion in his voice twisted Goro’s stomach.

“This says that anyone who isn’t useful to him should perish,” Yusuke summarized. He swallowed, eyes flickering over the inscription again. “Surely this can’t be right. Sensei is a deeply compassionate person—he’s helped so many students.”

Morgana tapped a paw to his chin, looking from the plaque to Yusuke with a pensive squint of his eyes. “I can’t read. One of you should teach me.”

Goro shook his head and hovered a hand on Yusuke’s shoulder, only to snatch it back as he heard footsteps. He looked to Morgana, whose eyes had gone wide, and then tugged Yusuke over to an alcove.

“Like I said, you have to be more careful, okay?” Morgana skidded to a halt by a stand, looking back to ensure they were hidden from sight. "Hey, one of you look inside those pamphlets. There might be something useful. I’ll keep a lookout."

Yusuke picked one up, and his lips moved silently as he read the words inside. Goro unfolded another one into a map. "It looks like this covers most of the area we just went through," he said, "but it could be useful if we return here."

"There's no 'if' about it," Morgana said, bouncing from foot to foot. "I'm remembering all sorts of stuff! We gotta come back another day and figure out how to get past that barrier. For now, let's try to find a way out. I'll tell you everything I remembered once we get to somewhere safe."

Goro knelt to show Morgana the map. "This only shows a front entrance, and I assume that that would be flanked by guards. Perhaps there's another way that isn't listed here."

Morgana looked at the pamphlet and nodded. "Okay, let's try this way, then. Hold onto that map for now." He peeked around the corner and retreated reflexively. "There are two guards ahead. We need to be careful."

"Listen to this," Yusuke said, not bothering to lower his voice when Morgana shushed him. "'Welcome to the museum celebrating Ichiryusai Madarame's expansive career. For years, this now-famous artist cultivated his passion for painting but was unable to make a living. He finally achieved success with the release of the Sayuri painting in 2003, and he has gone on to use the many tools at his disposal to advance his career. His is truly a rags to riches story.'"

"So this Palace is definitely related to Madarame and how he thinks of himself," Morgana summarized. "That just confirms what I thought."

"The last line concerns me," Yusuke said. "In all the years that I have lived with him, we have maintained a very humble lifestyle. Madarame told me that he has used all his extra funds to care for and raise his pupils, so we have never had an excess of money or food."

Goro gestured to the opulence surrounding them. "It seems as though he hasn’t been truthful about quite a few things, then. Perhaps he’s storing all his wealth for a later date."

Morgana glanced around the corner again. "We'll talk about it later, okay? We have to get out of here first." He watched the guard's movements, but at least one of them was always facing in their direction. "We might have to create a distraction. I'll go around to the other end of the hallway, make some noise, and then run back this way. You guys run for it as soon as their backs are turned. I'll cover you if anything goes wrong."

Goro and Yusuke both nodded, and Morgana rushed off around the U-shaped hallway. They crouched close together to watch around the corner, listening for any noise. After a few moments, the guards turned to the sound of scratching, and the boys ran up the nearby stairs to duck around another corner. Morgana followed soon after.

"Perfect," he whispered. "Good work avoiding detection! You guys might almost get as good as me one day."

"Thank you for putting yourself at risk for us, Morgana," Goro said. "I wish that I could be of more use in these situations."

"It's not all about brawn, y'know. You've got a tactical mind and a knack for sneaking around, so I'm sure you'll be helpful to me in the future."

Despite the fact that he was still obviously being used, Goro couldn't help smiling at the praise. After a moment to check that they hadn't been followed, they moved on. 

The next door they opened revealed a floor-to-ceiling portrait of Yusuke.

Looking around the rest of the large room, countless other portraits lined the walls. Most of the faces depicted seemed young, and they all looked unblinking at the three intruders. Yusuke shivered and walked closer to the plaque on his own portrait.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yusuke looked around, folding his arms defensively around himself. "I recognize many former pupils in these portraits, as well."

"I see you've found my collection."

The three tensed and turned back the way they came. Madarame stood blocking the exit, flanked on both sides by guards. "Impressive, isn't it?" he continued. "It's the product of years of hard work."

"Sensei?" Yusuke clenched his fists as he took in the scene. "Why are you dressed like that? What's going on?"

Madarame laughed. "You haven't figured it out with all the snooping around you've done today? I thought I raised you to be smarter than that." He spread his arms to remind them of the guards at his side. "Don't disappoint me."

"Yusuke, that's just a Shadow," Morgana said. "You don't have to listen to what it says!"

"Shadows can take such humanoid forms?" Goro asked. "This one is completely different from all the others we've encountered."

"This is a Shadow that Madarame must have created. His cognition and his emotions must be so warped that he made this whole Palace along with a Shadow of himself."

If Morgana's words were true, that implied that all Shadows were created by human activities. The two worlds were even more closely connected than they assumed—what did that imply about Mementos?

Goro filed the thought away for later. There were more pressing matters. Although Yusuke was the one most directly impacted by Madarame's actions, Goro could hear echoes of past and present caretakers in everything Madarame was saying. The threats and emotional manipulation were all too clear and too personal.

"Of course I knew you were plagiarizing from these people," Yusuke said, "because I experienced it firsthand. But I never even began to think that this was how you felt about them—about us—that we’re just tools. Have you no compassion?"

"Compassion won't get you anywhere in this cutthroat world." Madarame waved a hand. "You have to step over others to lift yourself up. It's something any schoolyard bully could figure out."

"But you raised me. You have acted as my father, yet you are telling me that meant nothing to you?"

Madarame's grin widened, and Goro clenched his teeth to bite back his rage. "I wouldn't say it meant nothing. The fact that you came into my custody at such a young age was a blessing." Yusuke's eyes widened, but Madarame continued. "It meant that I could mold your life in whatever way I saw fit. For that reason, you have been my most useful tool."

It might not have been his place, but Goro couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. "You're disgusting," he spat. "How could you see a helpless orphaned child and think only of yourself?"

Madarame looked at him with empty golden eyes. "Oh, it's you. The stubborn 'friend' who won't go away after all these years." He raised a clenched fist. "Stay away from Yusuke. I have enough on my plate without another orphan intruding on my life."

"You remember him?" Yusuke asked. "I thought you two never even met. We wrote the letter but never received one."

"That's because I never sent it."

Yusuke's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Of course, it was charming that you wanted to stay in touch with a little lonely orphan you met, but you had better things in store. I couldn't have you associating with some unwanted child." Madarame looked to Yusuke with a cold smile. "Besides, you must keep focusing on your art, Yusuke. You don't have the time to waste with your unenlightened peers. Don't you want a place to live? Where would an orphan like you go if you didn't have me to look after you?"

Yusuke shivered and folded in on himself. "Don't listen to him," Goro said. "You're more than a tool, Yusuke. You can make your own decisions."

"But he's right," Yusuke said. "I have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. What am I without art? What is a pupil without his teacher?"

"What has he taught you?" Goro demanded. "As an artist, all he's ever done is take the work of others. He has nothing to offer you."

Yusuke straightened up a bit as he thought it over. "What about the Sayuri?"

"I would imagine that is not his work, either." Goro glared at Madarame in his peripheral. "Why don't we ask him?"

Madarame grinned, tilting his chin back as though looking down on them. "Clever boy."

"Unbelievable." Yusuke looked down and clutched at his chest. "Then, if this is all true, allow me to summarize. You have no interest in art, yet you have masqueraded as a humble artist for years to cultivate your own public image. You view your pupils as tools that you can use to increase your profits and better your image, and you have no compassion for them—not even me, who you raised as a son and student. And your most famous painting, which has inspired me and countless others, is not even yours."

"Yes, you finally figured it all out. What a smart boy." Madarame's heels clicked on the floor as he and the guards moved in to corner the group. "Now, allow me to rid you of these disturbances, and we can return to our lives."

"This looks bad," Morgana hissed. "I can't fight them all off by myself!"

Goro braced his back against the wall. For the past decade, he had tried to accept the fact that every aspect of his life was out of his control. Where he went, who he spoke to, what he said and did—everything was determined by the adults that ruled over his life with threats of punishment and abandonment. He thought that he could be okay with that as long as they would accept him, but, by now, he knew that they never would. He would always feel like a prisoner in his own home.

But not here. Here, in this world, he could choose what he wanted to do, and what he wanted right now was to utterly destroy the man in front of him.

Madarame had denied both him and Yusuke the comfort of friendship, and, years later, they both were much worse off for it. They had suffered alone through years of manipulation and trauma, neither feeling like they had anyone to reach out to. They had internalized their self-flagellation, their resentment, their crushing loneliness, until they didn't know how to even begin connecting with others.

Glancing to his side, Goro saw Yusuke kneeling on all fours, dragging his nails across the pristine tile floor. "You are unforgivable," he was saying, but the rest was drowned out as a sharp pain ripped through Goro's skull.

Goro gripped his head in both hands and slid down the wall, curling into a ball on the ground. _You have found your resolve,_ a voice said. _Hold on to your ideals, and I will be there to fight alongside you._

He shifted one hand to his forehead and felt smooth metal. Whatever was on his face—encasing his whole head, actually—obstructed his vision and movement. His fingers hooked around the edges of the mask and pulled, but the pain in his head doubled at the effort. He stood up, grit his teeth, and ripped it off in one motion.

A powerful, steadying presence made itself known behind him. Goro turned to Yusuke, who was also scrabbling with a mask on his face. He arched his back as he tore it off, taking skin and blood with it. A Persona burst into being, and Morgana gasped. "Two at once! That's so cool!"

Goro wiped the blood from his forehead to watch Madarame's expression morph with terror. "Please, finish your thought from earlier," he said. "I would love to hear more about poor, defenseless Yusuke and that disgusting, unwanted child." Goro stepped forward with each adjective, relishing in the feeling of control.

Madarame's mouth hung slack until he managed to bark an order. "Guards, take care of them! Show no mercy!"

As the Shadows moved to follow his command, he turned on his wooden heel and ran for the door. Goro clenched his fists.

"You're not getting away, you piece of shit." He darted between two guards to give chase, but one of them grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground. The force knocked the breath out of him, and he curled on the floor to clutch his side.

Yusuke and Morgana both called his name, and their feet appeared in his line of vision. Morgana summoned his Persona to cast a spell, diminishing Goro’s pain. Yusuke helped him to his feet, and the trio turned to the immediate threat. The Shadows had changed to their true forms, and backup had arrived in the mere seconds that Goro had been knocked down.

"This looks bad," Morgana said. "I'll help you guys all I can, but you'll have to figure most of it out for yourselves as we fight."

"Gladly," Goro breathed. Judging by the barely-controlled rage in his expression, Yusuke felt similarly.

Yusuke and Goro threw themselves into battle while Morgana maintained some distance to advise them. "All Shadows have weaknesses, so try casting your elemental magic to see what works." As he spoke, a gust of wind tore through the room, but all the enemies remained standing. "If we knock them all down, we can take them out! Give it all you've got!"

Ice crystals formed on one of the Shadow's wings and burst, knocking it to the ground. "Woah, was that Yusuke?" Morgana gasped. "Great job! Looks like they're all weak to ice except the one in the middle. Yusuke, take out the rest of those guys while Akechi and I get the big one."

Another blast of wind hit the tallest Shadow, but it hardly flinched in response. Goro took stock of his abilities before choosing a light spell. This time, the Shadow lurched forward onto all fours. 

"We got 'em all!" Morgana cheered. "Quick, kick 'em while they're down!"

The three of them launched into an all-out attack. Ripping through a Shadow with his saber and watching it dissolve was scarily gratifying, and Goro was disappointed to see that Yusuke and Morgana had already taken out the other three small Shadows. They returned to their regular battle stances as the large enemy staggered back to its feet, but Yusuke hardly gave it a moment to stand before hitting it with a heavy physical attack. It died with a screech, and the resulting silence sent shivers through Goro.

He pushed his emotions back down and grabbed Yusuke's arm. "We have to go after Madarame. He can't have gotten far." Yusuke nodded and took a step in the direction that Madarame fled, but his knees buckled and failed. Goro knelt to help but collapsed to all fours instead.

"You guys are both gonna end up in serious trouble if you keep rushing into danger like that," Morgana said. He summoned Zorro to heal both of them, but Goro's exhaustion remained. "You both pushed yourselves really hard today, and you need a break. We can come back another day to finish what we started."

Goro and Yusuke leaned on each other to stand up. "As long as we're here, we should take note of some of the names on these portraits," Goro said. "We can track them down later and get testimony from them."

Morgana huffed. "Fine, but make it quick." He retrieved Goro's notebook and pen from the bag and handed them over as best as he could without thumbs. "Other guards might come after us, so we still need to find a way out."

They proceeded through the hall, with Goro writing down as many names as possible. The next hall that they entered was more labyrinthine than open, which made sneaking past enemies mercifully easy. They made their way to a small room with several windows. On the other side of the glass, lights flashed periodically to tint the night sky in shades of yellow. 

"We made it!" Morgana jumped on the ledge and examined the windows. "One of these is open, so we have to be careful when we exit the building. There could still be guards around."

Goro and Yusuke climbed the ledge with shaky arms and crawled through the window. Outside, they jumped down several more levels until they reached a row of hedges. "Akechi, can you use the app to get us out of here now?" Morgana whispered. "I don't exactly know where the exit point is, so we should try every so often."

Goro tapped the icon, but there was no response. "It seems as though we need to move farther away from the building."

As they sneaked past gaurds and made their way to the edge of the hedges, the app eventually pinged on its own, allowing them to leave.

When the world came back into focus, the three of them were outside Madarame's house in their usual clothes. Yusuke turned to the door with a frown. "After everything that happened, Madarame will not want anything to do with us. We should go."

"Wait a minute," Morgana said. "That version of him that we met in the Metaverse was different from how he appears in this world. If the Palace is a cognitive creation, maybe it forms from conscious thoughts, but it could also be a product of someone’s subconscious."

"So you think Madarame may not be consciously aware of what we just did?" Goro asked.

"I feel like that's the case, yeah." 

Goro turned to Yusuke, showing his skepticism with a raised brow. "What would you like to do? Unfortunately, none of our options are good."

"What Madarame said earlier was true," Yusuke replied. "I don't have anywhere else to go. I will have to stay here for the time being and hope for the best."

It was frustrating beyond words that both Yusuke and Goro had to suffer in their daily lives even after being chosen to enter the other world, but perhaps they could change that soon. "Let me know if you feel you are in danger," Goro said. "I cannot offer you a place to stay, but I will help you in any way I can."

From there, they formed a plan. Morgana noted that the locked door in Madarame's house and the gate in his Palace had similar designs, so they were linked somehow. If they opened the door and Madarame saw that it was no longer locked, Morgana guessed that the security gates would open long enough for them to pass through and continue exploring. They would be in Yusuke’s room nearby to listen for Madarame's reaction, then quickly enter the Metaverse before Madarame investigated further. Ideally, he would think that a common thief had broken in. They agreed to meet Yusuke at his house after school on Monday to carry out the plan.

Once their discussion was finished, Goro checked the time. Some of the tension left his shoulders as he noted that it was still before four o'clock. "We should get going now. You're sure that you'll be okay?"

Yusuke reached for the doorknob. "I have to be. Besides, I have lived here almost all my life. A few more months is nothing."

Goro's fingers froze over the screen of his phone. He often told himself the same thing.

"It's different now," he eventually said. "I'm here for you."

Yusuke smiled and turned the knob. "And I for you. Now get going—I'll not have you getting in trouble again."

Goro smiled back and started on his way to the train station. After such a long day, his bag weighed heavy on his shoulder, but he didn't mind; he was grateful to Morgana for now.

"You guys are really something," the cat said. "You got the hang of battle so quickly! We're gonna make a great team."

A team. Such a foreign concept, yet perhaps that was what they’d become.

\---

After going to bed that night, Goro awoke in a bunk bed. He furrowed his brow and reached up, tensing as he felt cold metal under his fingers.

"Welcome to my Velvet Room."

Goro's head whipped to the side, searching for the source of the deep voice. A man with a long nose sat in a table at the center of the room, flanked by two girls in clean, pressed uniforms. 

The girl with her hair styled in two buns rapped a baton against her hand. "Sit up when you are addressed, Denizen."

"The head resident has important information to tell you," the other added.

Goro swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, careful not to hit his head on the top bunk. All three of the residents gestured to a chair near the center of the room, where a fluorescent bulb buzzed and lit the area in harsh tones. The folding chair squeaked as he sat.

This didn't seem quite real, but it was also different from his other dreams. In those, he was never aware or able to see his own body. He was only vaguely aware of his own consciousness as he processed events around him, as a cameraman records but is unseen. In this dream, he could look down and see that he wore a tattered pair of slacks, along with a heavily stained shirt. He supposed this made sense, considering he was in some sort of doomsday bunker. It was actually more consistent than most dreams.

Goro looked back up and straightened his posture. "What do you have to tell me? Who are you?"

They introduced themselves as Igor, Caroline, and Justine. "It seems you have recently awakened to a new power," Igor said. "I wonder how you'll make use of it. There are many paths open to you now."

Justine adjusted her clipboard. "We are here to assist you as you learn more about your abilities. We will be available to you at all times through various portals in both worlds."

"May I ask exactly where we are?"

"Pay attention!" Caroline snapped. "Our head resident already told you that you're in the Velvet Room."

"But this appears more like a large bunker than a single room."

Igor folded his hands beneath his chin. "We are preparing for the end." As Goro's eyes widened, he continued. "But do not worry. If you follow our instructions, you will survive and be born again. There is nothing for you to fear."

From there, the residents told him about the Velvet Room features that he could use. At the moment, he only had one Persona, but he could fuse countless more to become stronger. If Morgana was correct and a Persona represented the true self, the implications of this fit with Goro's reality; he had formed himself entirely around the expectations of others, so of course he would have many different masks.

As if reading his thoughts, Igor said, "Do not forget the spirit of rebellion within you. Though others have influenced you greatly, you now have the power to shape the world as you see fit." His grin widened. "Use it well."

"The time has come for you to return to your world, Denizen," Justine said. "Seek us out if you require our services."

Goro opened his mouth to ask more questions, but his vision faded to a deep blue and his limbs went slack. He lost consciousness again with unsolved conflicts swirling in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what up i'm morgana, i'm five days old, and i never fucking learned how to read


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry everyone i had to skip 4/20 because it didn't fit into the story :'( and I had to split up the chapters so this one's a bit short, but next week's is longer!

**April 21, 2014 (Monday)**

Goro felt considerably sicker standing in front of Madarame's door than the first time he visited, but he managed to knock. Thankfully, Yusuke answered the door; seeing Madarame would invoke a rage that Goro didn't want to process at the moment.

Yusuke smiled. "Hello, Goro. How are you?"

"As well as I can be, considering the circumstances. And you?"

"I took a day to process all that we heard, but I still cannot quite believe it. What we saw is such a stark contrast to the reality here."

"That's why we must keep pushing forward." Goro held out a pair of gloves for Yusuke. "Put these on, please. We'll need them when we're investigating in the real world."

Morgana poked his head out of Goro's bag with a huff. "It was my idea. Give credit where it's due."

Yusuke looked down with wide eyes. "Oh. Hello, Morgana." He smiled up at Goro again. "Do you take him to school with you?"

"He insisted," Goro said. "What have you learned so far, Morgana?"

"Humans like to talk about things that aren’t related to school at all, like makeup and celebrities and stuff." He huffed again. "How do you all remember what's important if you're focused on useless facts like that?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly qualified to answer that question." Goro stepped through the doorway. "As much as I enjoy it, I'm afraid we must end the banter now. We have several items on the agenda." He gestured to the stairway. "Starting with the locked door, yes?"

Without waiting for an answer, he made his way upstairs. As Morgana said, its pattern was identical to that of the barricades they saw in the Metaverse. "So we can continue our investigation of the Palace if we unlock this door, correct?"

"Seems like it." Morgana climbed up the door with his front paws to get a closer look at the lock. "Yusuke, do you know where the key is?"

Yusuke stood a few feet from them, eyes wide. "I would assume that Sensei keeps it with him. However, I have never seen him enter this room."

"I think we could pick this lock pretty easily, too," Morgana added. "Stealing the key off Madarame himself seems too risky. Do you think maybe he keeps it in his room?"

"I really would not be comfortable with us entering Sensei's bedroom," Yusuke said. "It feels disrespectful."

"We're already breaking into whatever room this is." Morgana tapped one paw against the door to punctuate his sentence. "Plus, you heard what his Shadow said. Aren't you still mad?"

"Don't goad him on," Goro interjected. "Complicated as the situation may be, this is still Yusuke's home. He has every right to decide." He turned to Yusuke. "We don't have to enter the bedroom if you're not comfortable, but, if we pick the lock, Madarame will know for certain that we've been invading his privacy. There will likely be repercussions for you."

Yusuke's shoulders tensed. "It is not really much of a choice, then, is it." After a moment of hesitation, he turned and led them back down the stairs. They entered Madarame's sparse room and took in the sight: a splintering wood floor, a rolled-up mat leaned against the far wall, and a few sketchbooks stacked in one corner. 

Goro knelt by the stack of books and picked one up, struggling to turn the pages with his gloved hands. Yusuke looked on over his shoulder. The book mostly contained lists of names and locations, and Yusuke recalled that these seemed to be the locations of past exhibits. They moved through the stack, finding nothing noteworthy until reaching one of the books near the bottom.

Goro weighed it in his hand. "This one feels unusually light." He opened it to find it had been hollowed out, with a key resting inside. He tsk'ed. "A child's trick. I refuse to believe that Madarame is truly this foolish."

Yusuke leaned closer, one hand to his chin. "It does seem uncharacteristic for him to leave such an important item unguarded. However, I am the only person ever here, and I would never even begin to consider coming into Sensei's private room under normal circumstances."

"Arrogance, then." Goro replaced the book beneath the stack, and they successfully tried the key on the door upstairs.

"This is super anticlimactic," Morgana whined. “I wanted to pick the lock!”

"There's still much more work to be done," Goro said. He peeked into the room, then turned to Yusuke. "How long should it be until Madarame returns?"

"Perhaps half an hour or more. His schedule can be somewhat erratic."

"Why don't we investigate a bit, then." Goro pulled out his cell phone, preparing to document anything incriminating in the room. Without waiting for Morgana or Yusuke's response, he entered. The first room was relatively plain, but another unlocked door revealed a room full of identical paintings.

Although Goro had surged ahead, he heard Yusuke gasp as he caught up. "What..." Yusuke pushed past Goro and knelt in front of the paintings. "What is all this?"

His companions remained silent as Yusuke quickly pieced the situation together. He must not have felt the need to share his conclusions yet; instead, he stood and paced the room, one hand covering his mouth. Goro took pictures of the room, making sure that Yusuke wasn't in any of them as he allowed the other two to process.

"This confirms what we experienced two days ago," Yusuke finally said. "I was still... having trouble believing it, but this is certainly something."

"Something incriminating," Goro added, scrolling through his pictures to make sure they were clear. "Even if we don't know what to do from the Metaverse angle, we can certainly use this evidence against Madarame. If we can prove that he's been committing forgery, he will surely receive some punishment for his crimes." He looked through the list of names in his notebook. "I also looked into the former pupils whose names we saw on those portraits. Not much information is available, as we suspected, but a few of them seem to have social media accounts that we could use to contact them."

At the responding silence, Goro looked up. Yusuke didn't seem to be listening, and Morgana looked at him with sympathy. "Maybe we'll save that stuff for a little later, Akechi," the cat said. "Right now, we should—"

"What is this?"

The three of them whirled around, and Goro's heart dropped at the sight of Madarame standing in the doorway. His shock quickly gave way to rage. How had this devious old man entered the house and climbed the stairs without any of them noticing? He should have assigned someone on lookout duty, but he got too excited, too foolish—

"Yusuke." The boy in question froze, hand still pressed over his mouth. His fingers trembled. "What is happening here?"

Goro's phone was still in his hand, and he navigated to the app, thumb at the ready to activate it. He hid it at his side as he spoke. "Yusuke wanted to show me something." Vague, but Madarame was shocked enough that Goro could think of more details in the meantime. He pressed his hand closer to his side to stop it from shaking.

Madarame focused his attention on Goro, and his eyes widened after a second. "What do you mean?"

Goro swept his free hand across the room. "He thought that he heard some noises coming from this area, and when we investigated, we found this cat.” He flashed a practiced smile. “I've no idea how he got in here; there must be a hole somewhere."

Morgana slunk behind Goro and headbutted his ankle. "What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" 

"It's amazing how many paintings you've done," Goro continued. "It must have taken a lot of practice to make the final Sayuri, if all of these are just the rough drafts."

Madarame's brow furrowed, and Goro held eye contact, trying to look as clueless as possible. Finally, Madarame laughed. "Yes, it certainly did. I still consider it my finest work, but I am always trying to improve." He turned to Yusuke. "I have to go make a call, but once I do, why don't we all go to the common area and chat there? That's certainly a more appropriate place to take your friend."

Yusuke flinched, looking guilty. "Of course, Sensei," he stuttered. "My sincerest apologies, I was just... very concerned about the noises, and—"

"So you went poking about for the key," Madarame finished. "I do hope that you understand this room is off-limits for a reason. It's quite embarrassing to have my old work lying around like this, but I can't seem to find it in me to throw it all out. Sentimental value, I suppose." He turned to the formerly locked door and placed his hand on the knob. "I'll come collect you all after I've finished my errand."

Goro held his breath as Madarame exited, but the old man didn't shut the door behind him. Goro slammed his thumb onto the Metaverse app icon and found himself falling. Morgana yowled beside him, but the cat landed on his feet while Goro and Yusuke smacked into the ground.

"That was a disaster," Morgana said. "We have to go right now before he gets back!"

Goro stood and looked to Yusuke, who was trying to use his shaky hands to push himself up. Goro offered a hand, and the three of them darted across the open area to another section of the museum. Once they were past the barrier, Yusuke leaned against a wall and let out a breath. "How will I come up with a reason—" he took a second to breathe in, "—as to why we aren't there when Sensei gets back?"

"Just say that we chased the cat out the back door." Goro stood closer to Yusuke and moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, then thought better of it. "We'll return soon; we just need to find a safe room so we can get back here another day. I do have to get home soon, anyway."

To Goro's surprise, Yusuke glared up at him. "And what home do I have to return to after this? With that stunt you just pulled, Sensei will never trust me again. I don't know if he'll even believe the lies you've told. Would he really think me so foolish that I would believe all those paintings were just practice?"

"He might," Morgana piped in.

Goro sighed. "Yusuke, you have to remember that he doesn't care about you, as painful as that may be. What we're doing is for the best. We have to investigate further to bring Madarame to justice."

Yusuke rubbed his eyes and took a moment to think. "I suppose I am too far involved to give up now. I don't think Sensei would throw me out immediately, in any case."

"Yeah, remember your resolve!" Morgana said. "Don't you want to get back at him for all that stuff he said the other day?"

The issue of where Yusuke would live after this was all over still hung over their heads, but they had to focus on the present for now. They found a safe room as quickly as possible and exited back to the front of the house. Goro picked up Morgana and carried him inside, where Madarame waited with several cups of tea. For all Goro knew, his was poisoned.

"My apologies, this cat ran out again and we had to chase him down," Goro said. "His owner may be looking for him, and we don't want him to get lost."

Morgana struggled as Goro spoke but eventually resigned to going along with the lie. He settled into Goro's arms and tucked his head under Goro's chin. 

"I don't know if I can allow an animal in this house," Madarame said with a frown. "He might track dirt in or have diseases."

"Hey!" Morgana yowled. Goro placed a hand on his fur to calm him down.

"Oh, of course," Goro said. "Again, I'm so sorry about the trouble. I'll take care of it." He nodded his head at the table. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer. Perhaps I can stay and chat another time."

"Perhaps," Madarame echoed.

"I'll see you out," Yusuke said. Once they were outside, Yusuke leaned in close to Goro and Morgana to whisper, "May I call you tomorrow?"

"Yes, as soon as we both get home," Goro responded. "I really am sorry to leave like this. Please hang in there until we can talk again."

"I'm sure he will have questions, but I can take your lead and play the fool." Yusuke sighed, tickling Goro's cheek with his breath. He placed one hand on Goro's forearm and patted Morgana with the other. "Let us continue as soon as we can."

Goro swallowed. "Let's." He smiled at Yusuke as they pulled apart, then placed Morgana into the bag to hide his own face for a moment. "Good luck."

"You, as well." Yusuke’s gaze lingered on each of them for a moment more before he turned and closed the door.

The other two seemed to let out a sigh at the same time, and Goro headed for the station, his stomach in knots. He could feel Morgana staring up at him.

"That was quick thinking back there," Morgana said, something curious in his tone.

"Thank you." Goro scanned the area to make sure no one else was around.

"You're a really good liar, huh?"

Goro held back a snort. "You hadn't figured that out before?"

"But Madarame finding us was a really high-stakes situation, and you handled it really well. I'm impressed."

Goro felt another flush threatening to show on his face. "Well. I'm glad we all seemed to get out of it alive. I was afraid he was going downstairs to call the police."

"I wonder who he did call," Morgana wondered. "Or maybe he was just lying."

"Maybe. Do you think there are other secrets in his room we haven't discovered?"

"He could've been checking under the floorboards or something. That's pretty much the only place you could hide something else in that little room."

"We may be able to investigate that later," Goro said, "but Yusuke will be the one to suffer for it if we noticeably disturb something. We need to be extra careful from now on."

"Yeah, I feel bad for the guy." Morgana looked over his shoulder, but Madarame's house was out of sight. "You both should go live on your own or something. You're both in pretty sorry states right now."

"If I could afford to do that, I already would have."

Morgana burrowed further into the bag with another sigh. "I guess you're right. You really have to go through three more years of this before you can get away from your foster family?"

"It seems that way, but maybe they won't keep me with them for that long. They must be as tired of me as I am of them."

"It's kind of scary, not really having a home."

Goro glanced down to the bag with some sympathy. As bad as the current situation was, Morgana and Goro would be having an even harder time if they hadn't run into each other. Morgana could probably figure things out on his own, though; he at least had freedom of movement. No one was paying attention to what he did or where he went.

"It is," Goro said eventually. "There's certainly something to be said for endurance in situations like this."

They continued back to the apartment in relative quiet, plotting a few of their next moves but largely unsure of how to proceed. With so many unknowns, as frustrating as it was, they would have to take it one day at a time.

\---

**May 17, 2014 (Saturday)**

"Fox, Crow is down! Do we have any more items?"

"Only potions—nothing to resuscitate him."

Goro felt someone struggle to pick him up, but he couldn't seem to open his eyes or move his limbs.

"We have to get out of here right now!"

"I don't understand—how can he be this strong? You said that we were ready!"

"Just shut up and get out of here!"

Goro's head lolled from side to side as he was carried away. He could hear a distorted, taunting voice behind them, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. He was so tired.

The noises grew farther away, and everything blurred together until he was laid onto a flat surface. A door slammed behind him, and a gentle hand lifted his head. Something smooth and glassy was pressed to his mouth, and he swallowed the potion until he felt strong enough to open his eyes. Yusuke and Morgana's worried faces greeted him.

"Thank goodness," Yusuke exhaled. His hand shook as he laid Goro's head back down. "Can you sit up?"

Goro planted his hands behind himself and pushed until he was sitting. He looked around the safe room and shivered. "Thank you both. That could have been much worse."

"We should rest here a bit longer and discuss what to do." Yusuke handed Goro another potion to drink at his leisure. "That certainly did not go as planned."

"We've been training for weeks!" Morgana said. "I can't believe that guy."

They had been slowly getting stronger through training in both Madarame's Palace and Mementos, although they had reached a block in the latter place. Despite their erratic schedules, they had made it to the innermost part of the Palace. Morgana had recognized something in the center room as a Treasure, but he hadn't known how to make it less ephemeral. They had been attempting to sneak around and jog Morgana's memory, but they were ambushed by Madarame and his guards. After easily defeating all the Shadows, Madarame himself turned into a monster that none of them seemed prepared to fight.

"We cannot get much stronger from just fighting the Shadows here," Yusuke said. "They are already much too easy to defeat. How are we to defeat Madarame like this?"

"We could try sneaking past again," Goro suggested. He closed his eyes at a sudden bought of dizziness and drank more of the potion.

"I don't think that'll work," Morgana said. "Security's going to be super tight after that disaster. I would say to wait and see if security changes, but we're going after what's most important to Madarame. His subconscious isn't going to forget that."

Yusuke rubbed his eyes and slumped onto a chair. "What do you propose we do, then?"

"My investigation has gone quite far in the past few weeks," Goro said. "Even if we cannot defeat him directly, I believe I may have enough evidence to start building a case."

"I really have a feeling that we're supposed to take that Treasure, though," Morgana said. "I just need more time to figure it out. Maybe we should poke around Mementos some more and see if I remember anything."

"Do you think Mementos has a Treasure?" Goro asked.

"I do, but it's probably somewhere behind that barrier." Morgana sighed and sat on the edge of the table. "I don't have any other ideas, though."

"Driving around somewhere we have already been seems like an exercise in futility," Yusuke said. "Is there perhaps another Palace we could train in? Another psyche’s Shadows may differ from this Palace's." They went silent to think for a moment, then Yusuke added, "We could also recruit a fourth member. Strategically, Madarame's attack style would be more spread out over four targets, and we could take out each portrait more quickly."

Goro tapped the bottle with his gauntlet, filling the space with clinking noises. "If we bring someone else on, there's no way to know if we can trust them. We would also have to debrief them on everything we've learned so far, which includes some very personal information of yours, Fox. Are we really willing to take such a risk?"

"If a stranger knowing about my past helps us make Madarame pay, I'm not terribly concerned about it."

Goro reflected on the reveal that Madarame had given just before their battle. He had watched Yusuke's mother die in front of him and done nothing to save her, all for his personal gain. The fact that Yusuke was holding it together at all after such a reveal was truly impressive. 

"I'd like to get another person on board," Morgana piped in. "No offense, but you two are kinda gloomy to be around all the time. Maybe another face would lighten things up."

Goro and Yusuke glared at Morgana. "We cannot control the circumstances of our lives," Yusuke snapped. "We are trying to fix them, but we've run into issue after issue, in case you haven't noticed." He sucked in a breath through his teeth and rested a hand over his eyes. "I do not know how I will even be able to bear living with Madarame after this."

Morgana's ears fell back against his head. "Sorry," he meowed. "I was just trying to joke around. You must be going through a lot right now."

"You've no idea."

They fell into another tense silence. Yusuke's haggard breaths were now the only noise filling the safe room, and their irregularity concerned Goro.

"I'm really sorry, Fox," Morgana said. "I was the one who kept pushing us. I just... I feel like we're so close, but I pushed us too far, and we still don't have a place for you to live after we take Madarame down. This wasn't well thought-out on my part."

"No," Goro said, "I pushed you, too, Fox. I've made your living situation even more unbearable than it was before, and now we can't even—"

"Both of you, _please_."

They shut up.

"I do not care what happens to me anymore," Yusuke said. "I'll go back to the orphanage. I'll live on the street if I have to, as it seems that's where I would have ended up if I stayed with Madarame, in any case. Anything would be better than living with that man." He lifted his mask to wipe his eyes. "All I care about is taking down Madarame, and I will do whatever it takes to accomplish that. If it means recruiting someone we've never met, fine. If it means going into another Palace, fine. Let us make a quick decision and end this."

Goro and Morgana looked at each other as Yusuke rested his head in his arms. 

"We still care about what happens to you," Goro said. "We can find both a way to bring Madarame to justice and a place for you to live."

"How would we start looking for another team member?" Morgana asked. "I think that's our best bet, but this city is huge. It'll be really hard to find someone who's cut out for this."

"Maybe you can scout while we're at school," Goro suggested. "Someone our age would be preferable, so that narrows things down considerably. I can also keep an eye out."

Yusuke lifted his head from the table. "I cannot think of any of my classmates who would fit the bill. A high school student may be more well-suited."

"I'll look around, then," Goro said. "You should just focus on enduring your situation for now. Again, I'm very sorry about this whole mess."

Yusuke flipped his mask back into place. "Neither of you are at fault. I do appreciate everything you've done, but we will need to be getting back soon. We can discuss this further tomorrow."

"We can start searching today and let you know what we find." Goro stood from the table, and they navigated out of the Metaverse from there. Parting from Yusuke was painful, as Goro felt more helpless than ever.

"I wanted so badly to improve your lot in life that I essentially forced you into a situation you may not have been comfortable with," Goro explained in front of Madarame's house. The shack was empty, so they had some time to say their goodbyes for the evening. "The truths that we have uncovered are extremely painful, and I feel terribly that you must bear them now."

"I don't know what to say at the moment," Yusuke said. "All of this has been unbelievably frustrating, but I would have wasted away if you and Morgana hadn't intervened. I will leave the scouting to you for now and join in when I feel able."

"Of course," Goro said. "Take your time, and please feel free to call me tomorrow. My foster parents will be out for the afternoon, so I can be there for you if you need me."

"Thank you." Yusuke squeezed Goro's shoulder, looked down at Morgana, then disappeared inside.

Goro checked the time. He had a few hours until his foster parents would be home, and he spoke with Morgana as they walked toward the station.

"We should scout now and restock on supplies," he said. "We have to make this up to Yusuke as quickly as we can."

"Akechi, you were passed out back there," Morgana said. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"I can walk."

Morgana's ears tilted back, and he curled into the bag. "Fine, but don't blame me if you pass out again. There's much less I can do for you here than in the Metaverse."

They made their way to the usual shopping district, not bothering to make further conversation. The team had saved up quite a bit of money through their training, and Goro might even have enough soon to rent a place of his own. The possibility that he and Yusuke could live together used to excite him, but now the thought just redoubled his guilt. He was glad that he hadn't proposed the idea to Yusuke yet; he wanted to be sure they'd saved enough first, and they needed to spend the money on supplies for now.

He didn't know if Yusuke would even want to live with him after all this.

After buying the essentials, Goro leaned against a shop window, his bag considerably heavier. He scanned the area, not really sure who he was looking for but hoping that something would come to him, as it did on the day he reunited with Yusuke. In the Metaverse, he had been using the power of perception that Igor gave him, but it didn't seem to work on people in the regular world.

For the second time since the start of April, the world faded to greyscale without Goro concentrating. He blinked hard and looked around for anything that stuck out. The pedestrians passing by all looked like silver fish moving in two neat currents, and Goro leaned against a wall as another wave of dizziness took over. He squinted until he made out a splash of red and black amongst the current, then gathered himself to approach the person. As he tapped their shoulder, the world's color snapped back into place.

The student turned with a jolt, and her wide red eyes bore into him.


	5. Chapter 5

**May 17, 2014 (Saturday)**

"Makoto Nijima," Goro echoed. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry to bother you, but I noticed you're wearing a Shujin Academy uniform, and I had a question for you."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Your school has been in the news recently for its athletics. Apparently you have an outstanding volleyball program."

She shifted and looked around, evidently looking for an escape from this conversation. "I don't know very much about it. I'm not really into sports, and I'm only a first year student."

"I'm a first year, too." Goro smiled at her. "I was wondering if I could get a tour of the grounds? I've been thinking about transferring, as my school year has been off to a somewhat rocky start."

"Is that so." Practically Makoto's entire body was turned away from him now. "Well, it's a Saturday afternoon, so the grounds are most likely closed. The most I could do is walk you to the gate."

"Would you be so kind?"

Makoto appeared to bite back a sigh. "I suppose so, but I do have somewhere to be. It'll have to be quick."

"Of course." He started to follow the potential new team member. "I normally wouldn't impose like this, but I've been looking for an in for some time now. Do you think any of the staff are still there?"

"It's possible," Makoto said, "but I don't think so. Most people have probably gone home by now."

Goro continued to force conversation as they made their way to Shujin. He wasn't really sure where he was going with this; Makoto only gave short answers to his questions, which made it difficult to evaluate her. If he could find some way to bring her into the Metaverse, they could see if she had the potential to use a Persona. However, although the day's events had been harrowing, he wasn't quite so desperate as to drag her into Mementos; there was no need to make a civilian panic. He'd have to keep chipping away and see what he could find out.

They stood before the school gates, and Goro put a gloved hand to his chin. "So this is Shujin Academy?"

His vision went red for a moment, and he nearly staggered. Could he really be that lucky? What was this force that kept leading him to the most opportune people at the most opportune moments?

"Yes," Makoto said. "I'm surprised that you've never been here before if you're so interested in our athletics."

"I haven't had the time." Goro spared a glance to his bag, and Morgana's wide eyes looked up at him. He knew they were onto something, and so quickly after discussing both a new team member and a new Palace.

"Do you play any sports yourself?" Makoto asked. She leaned over a bit, also trying to look into Goro's bag. "They do seem time-consuming."

"I dabble in kendo, but I'm trying to focus on academics and orchestra for now," Goro said, subtly shifting the bag closer to his side. "More extracurriculars would be a bit too much to handle."

"I'm sure," Makoto said. "I just joined student council, and it seems like quite the time commitment." She straightened up and narrowed her eyes at Goro. "Why are you getting involved with two clubs if you just want to transfer schools anyway?"

"It's good to practice when you can." Goro waved his hand at the school, searching his mind for questions that would lead them somewhere. "Who are some of your teachers? Do you find their teaching styles effective?"

Makoto listed a few names, but there were no reactions. Goro nodded. "And who runs the student council?"

"The student council president handles most of the meetings, but Principal Kobayakawa sometimes attends to see how things are going."

Another flash of red made Goro’s vision swim. He was very much struggling to stay upright, which drew even more of Makoto's suspicion.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked. "There's a bench nearby if you want to sit."

With his bulky bag, she probably thought he was dealing drugs or something of that nature. He needed to figure out the distortion and get her on board quickly. "I'll be alright. Just not sleeping well." True. "I can't remember what the news segment mentioned in relation to Kobayakawa. It couldn't have something to do with a gymnasium, could it?" Nothing. "No, it wasn't about the athletics team, for once."

Makoto leaned over again to get a closer look at Goro's face. "I don't remember any news segment about our principal. When was this?"

"A few months ago, before the year started." Goro closed his eyes, still swaying on his feet a bit. "I'm trying to remember what it was about... a laboratory?" Nothing. "Stadium? Park? Construction site?" Nothing, nothing, nothing.

"Akechi, you're starting to frighten me," Makoto said. Goro felt his stomach drop. "Shall I call the police? I doubt they’d take you away to prison for acting strange, but I suspect that something else is—"

There it was. Everything went hazy and condensed back into a crumbling prison. Morgana was standing at his side immediately—no, that couldn't be right. Where was his bag? He scanned the ground to see it beside him, but he didn't remember setting it down.

Maybe he should have taken Makoto up on the offer to sit down.

The girl in question was understandably quite frightened, but Morgana did most of the explaining while Goro regained his bearings. What kind of Palace was this? Madarame's was opulent; this was decrepit and almost tragic to look at. Kobayakawa must have despised his job if this was how he thought of the school, or he must have been doing something wrong. Perhaps both.

"Akechi?"

He turned, swallowing hard as his vision swam. Makoto's panicked red eyes cut through the shifting haze of black. "Yes?"

"I don't understand what’s going on," she said. "Did you slip me something?"

Again with the drugs. "No, I assure you that this is very real." He held up his phone to show her the app. "As Morgana said, this must be the reality that exists in your principal's mind. I do want to apologize for acting so strangely, but we are in need of help."

"I..." Makoto looked around, wrapping her arms around herself. "I just wanted to go study. I don't want to get involved with whatever this is."

Maybe in another life, one where he felt more secure in his home, Goro would've felt the same. As it was, he was getting more irritated and tired with every sentence he managed to grind out. "Aren't you the least bit curious? It's not every day you have an opportunity like this, to experience how someone else sees the world." He tapped the edge of his phone to his head. "And your principal, no less. Perhaps you could learn something from taking a look around."

Predictably, that seemed to get her. She looked toward the prison entrance, arms still tightly crossed. "But those Shadows you mentioned, aren't they hostile? How am I supposed to fight back without a Persona?"

She’d already picked up some of the terminology. Perhaps she’d prove competent. "We'll avoid them for today," Goro said. "We should just do a preliminary round of scouting."

They probably shouldn't, actually, considering how exhausted Goro and Morgana both were, but he didn't know if he'd be able to convince Makoto to come here a second time. If she had the potential, she had to activate it today, which probably meant they had to be in a desperate situation. The thought itself almost doubled Goro's exhaustion, and he reached down to ensure that his stock of potions wasn’t completely drained.

"Are you sure about this, Crow?" Morgana asked. "We've done a lot already today. I think looking around is a pretty stupid idea, honestly."

"We'll stay out of sight." That was a lie. He'd make a beeline for Kobayakawa's Shadow and decide what to do from there. "It can't hurt to take a preliminary look around and come back with Fox tomorrow."

"You and Fox are so stubborn!" Despite his complaints, Morgana walked alongside Goro as they started off. "If you keep it up, it's going to get you in serious trouble. Again."

Makoto asked more questions about the unfamiliar terms as they headed for the entrance, and Morgana continued to answer most of them. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be any guards in front of the building; there was a fenced-in recreational area to their left, similar to the exercise yard one might see in a regular prison, but only a few figures were moving. Many students appeared to be sitting still on the ground and talking freely with each other. The Shadows, who took a similar form as the guards in Madarame's Palace, seemed to allow the chatter. Their heads rotated aimlessly, and their batons hung limp in their hands.

Morgana eased open the front door and waved the other two over. "Quiet—it looks like there are Shadows in there."

Makoto reached the door first and gasped. "That's him," she whispered. Goro was glad to see that she was invested now, and even more glad that they had found Kobayakawa's Shadow so quickly. His home life may have been hell, but at least he had a bed to return to soon.

Goro stood on tiptoe to look over Makoto's head. He saw more guards and one slight figure beside a large one.

"No one's been paying attention in any of my math classes," the slight figure complained. "2-A is especially bad; nearly everyone failed their exams last week. Can't you hold an assembly or something?"

"Why can't you teach them properly?" the larger figure asked. Goro could see the fluorescent lights shining on his bald head.

"It's not my fault," the teacher snapped back. "I've tried to impart my excitement about mathematics onto them. I've even lectured them for their poor class participation, but nothing gets through to them. It's your fault that they don't care about learning! Shujin is supposed to get young people excited for their futures, but your apathy has clearly rubbed off on them."

"Ms. Usami, I am doing all I can—"

"Evidently not. Do you want someone else to write an assembly speech for you? Maybe Ms. Kawakami or some other teacher could help you actually do your job right."

If a confrontation like this had happened in Madarame's Palace, the Shadows would have attacked the offending party by now. Why were the guards just standing there with their heads down?

Kobayakawa hung his head, as well. "I didn't want this," he groaned.

"Didn’t want what? Your students to be such disappointments? They're just a reflection of you."

"I don't want this job."

“Then quit and let someone more competent take over.”

“I can’t.”

Ms. Usami scoffed. “Fine. I suppose you’ll have to be content with this status quo, then.” She turned on her heel and stormed off, muttering to herself.

Just in front of Goro, Makoto leaned in closer to hear more of Ms. Usami's words, but the rusty metal door squealed on its hinges. All the figures in the room turned, and the three thieves didn't manage to duck out of the way in time. In all honesty, Goro made sure to be seen before hiding.

Morgana's head whipped around as he looked for another hiding spot. Several pairs of footsteps were drawing closer, and the grounds were too open for them to find anywhere to hide—which, Goro now realized, would be a pain when they returned later, but it suited him just fine for now. Both doors swung open, and Makoto and Morgana froze.

"And look at this!" Ms. Usami yelled, gesturing to them with both arms. "Some of them have escaped, and you haven't even noticed. Complete incompetence, as usual."

Kobayakawa's Shadow blinked slowly at them, not bothering to make a move yet. From this distance, Goro could see that Kobayakawa's uniform was only slightly different from the students', and his irises were the same shade of yellow as Madarame's. His eyes were reddened where they should have been white.

"Why not just let them go?" he sighed. "We're better off without a few troublemakers."

"You have to discipline them," Ms. Usami said. "As I said, it's your job to shape them into respectable young people. This is your chance!"

Kobayakawa's eyes looked a bit more alert as he looked over the three of them. Makoto straightened up and asked, "Principal, what's going on? You always seem so confident during council meetings."

"I've only mustered the energy to attend a few. If I attended every one, the students would notice my weakness," the Shadow answered. "You seemed like a promising first year, if I remember correctly. It's a shame you're showing your true colors now."

Makoto's shoulders tensed closer to her ears. "I'm not doing anything wrong! What is all this? You didn't answer me."

"This is Shujin," he said, squinting. "A prison of my own making."

"I can see that it's Shujin," Makoto snapped. "That still doesn't answer the question. What have you done with all the students?"

Ms. Usami laughed behind him and the guards. "Not much, that's for certain."

Kobayakawa's head rotated slowly, as if taking in the grounds for the first time. "I haven't done much of anything," he confirmed. "The vast majority of these students are none of my concern. They should figure out how to do things on their own; I never wanted the responsibility of so many young futures."

"You don't... care about them?" Makoto asked. "I thought teachers, and especially principals, were supposed to do everything they could to help their students. You even said that yourself at the very first meeting of the year." 

How idealistic. Goro choked back a laugh of his own.

After another stretch of silence, Makoto grit her teeth and said, "I was counting on you and the other adults at Shujin to help me get into university. I'm already prepared to work hard, but if you're not willing to put forth the same effort, then why did you take this job?"

Kobayakawa finally looked up at the red-grey sky. "The prestige, I suppose."

"Guys, they're not moving to attack yet," Morgana hissed. "We have to get out of here—"

"No." Makoto lifted a hand to her head. "You took on such a heavy responsibility—one you didn't even want—just for the prestige? I've already started planning my future around a principal who doesn't care about whether his students succeed or not?"

His silence was answer enough, and Makoto's fingers tensed over her forehead. She doubled over but didn't collapse; Goro and Morgana were at her sides in a moment. Just as quickly, they both stuttered a step back when Makoto's Persona manifested. All the Shadows present backed up, as well, but the guards managed to ready their batons as Ms. Usami and Kobayakawa fled.

Morgana huffed. "At least we don't have to fight those two. Okay, Makoto, I'll walk you through the basics of battle—"

She tore through a Shadow with a flash of blue light and heat, and Morgana cut himself off. "Guess you got it. Okay, let's go, then!"

They made quick work of the guards; after weeks of training at Madarame's Palace, the lesser Shadows here were easy to dispatch, especially with Makoto's skill set. After they finished, Makoto moved to follow Kobayakawa, but Goro collapsed to one knee behind her. Morgana's huge eyes took up his field of vision in the next moment.

"You idiot," he admonished. "You've pushed yourself way too hard today! You should've just let me and Makoto handle it."

Goro let out a breathy laugh. "It's easier with three fighters. We were outnumbered."

Morgana shook his head, exasperated. "We gotta get you out of here. Makoto, can you help?"

Makoto took a step closer, but Goro staggered to his feet first. "I'll be fine." He steadied himself through another wave of vertigo, then took out his phone. "Shall we go?"

"We should've left as soon as we discovered the Palace," Morgana said.

"Yes, but we have that new team member that we wanted now."

Makoto squinted her eyes at him through her metallic mask. "Excuse me, what are you talking about?"

"We'll explain soon. Get ready to leave for now." Goro hit the button to exit the Metaverse, and, as soon as they manifested by the real-world Shujin, he found a wall to lean against.

Morgana hopped up beside him, and Goro again let him do most of the talking. They ended with an appeal for help with the Madarame situation.

"I think we can change Kobayakawa's way of thinking if we explore his Palace some more, and then you could help us with Madarame and my memories in return," Morgana said. "Maybe he'll be a better principal if we can cause a change of heart." He paused, then looked at Goro with wide eyes. "Oh, that's another term! Have you been writing these down?"

Goro tapped his temple. "It's all here. Can you elaborate on what that term means?"

Morgana's tail swished against Goro's shoulder as he spoke excitedly. "It's like changing the way the target thinks. If we take the Treasure, their cognition and behavior should change in the real world. I feel like that's definitely better than trying to defeat their Shadow! We should be extra careful not to get spotted next time."

Makoto frowned. "Three of you were just fighting a powerful Shadow without knowing what the outcome would be if you defeated it?"

"We weren't going to kill it." As much as Goro might have wanted to. "Without knowing how to get the Treasure to manifest, that was the best we could do."

She crossed her arms, rocking from side to side a bit as she thought. "It does sound like you need help, and I'd like to investigate further." She spared a glance for her school bag, forgotten by the side of the building during their excursion to the Metaverse. "I really was going to go study, but I'd like to meet this Kitagawa before I make any decisions. When we can arrange a meeting?"

"Tomorrow should be fine," Goro said. "We were already planning to discuss the next course of action soon. The issue is finding a meeting place."

No one's home was an option, as everyone's guardians were watchful. Makoto suggested a diner in Shibuya where there was enough general chatter for their conversation to be kept private, and they decided on a meeting time.

"I'll ask Yusuke if that works for him and get back to you," Goro said. "How can I contact you?"

"You can text me at this number." Makoto pulled up her contact information and showed him, then tilted her head upon seeing Goro's hesitation. "Something wrong?"

"I don't have a phone plan, and Yusuke doesn't have a cell phone," Goro explained. "We've been communicating via landline phones, so I will have to call you to confirm our meeting time." He copied her information and handed her phone back. 

Some mixture of confusion and sympathy painted Makoto's face. "I guess you weren't kidding about being cut off."

Goro fought back a surge of anger. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to bring another member in; he didn't need some stranger's sympathy, and he certainly didn't need someone knowing any details of his home life.

But this was for Yusuke. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and forced his smile back into place. "I'll call you later this evening, if that's acceptable."

Makoto agreed to keep an eye on her phone, and they parted ways. Goro was tempted to down another potion as a strong headache took hold, but he made it home before his foster parents did. That was one success from this disaster of a day.

He collapsed onto his bed, and Morgana padded over to sit next to his head. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Awful," Goro admitted.

"That's your own fault." Morgana's tail hit him again. "When Yusuke and I said we should get a new team member, we didn't mean right away."

Goro shot upright. "I forgot to call Yusuke." He ignored the pounding pain in his head for a few more minutes and went to the common room. Morgana followed, complaining about Goro pushing himself too hard. Goro ignored him as he dialed the number.

"Ichiryusai Madarame's residence," a familiar voice answered. "With whom am I speaking?"

"This is Goro."

"Ah." Not his usual enthusiastic response, but not entirely dismissive, either. The knot in Goro's stomach tightened nonetheless. "What do we need to discuss?"

Goro rushed through an explanation of the afternoon's events, eager to hear that tone of hope in Yusuke's voice again. "We were going to meet tomorrow in Shibuya around one o'clock," he concluded. "Will you be able to make that time?"

Yusuke paused, and Goro waited, holding his breath. "I should be able to," he finally said. "But are you feeling well? You were nearly passed out earlier; it was incredibly foolish of you to rush into a different Palace today."

The words stung more than any of Morgana's lectures. "It was," Goro agreed, "but I'll be fine. I'll just rest up tonight. We're not doing anything more strenuous than talking tomorrow, so we should have some time to recover then, as well." A pause. "How are you feeling?"

Another pause, longer. "Conflicted. Sens— Madarame hasn't returned yet, and I do not know how I will react when he does. I suppose I will confine myself to my room for the evening."

Goro didn't know what to say. "I'm truly sorry. You should get some rest, too."

"I will." Yusuke's sigh settled heavily into his ear. "At times like this, I would normally lose myself in painting for some time, but my feelings on the medium are now more conflicted than ever. Perhaps I should take up sculpting."

Was he trying to make Goro feel even guiltier? If so, Goro certainly deserved it. "Perhaps," he echoed. 

Pause. "Well. I will see you tomorrow, then. Rest up."

"You, too." He waited for Yusuke to hang up, but the click of the receiver took longer than usual to sound. Goro set the phone down and cradled his throbbing head.

Morgana nudged Goro's leg with his head. "Come on, dummy. Let's get you to bed."

**May 18, 2014 (Sunday)**

The four of them met the next day in front of the diner. Makoto had arrived earlier than everyone else, which gave Goro no time to speak privately with Yusuke in person.

Despite the crowd inside, the group secured a booth and leaned in close to hide Morgana. Yusuke offered up a few more details of his home life and his relationship with Madarame, stressing the importance of bringing Madarame to justice. Morgana and Goro had told Makoto the bare minimum yesterday; the personal details weren't theirs to reveal, after all. Makoto seemed a bit surprised by Yusuke's straightforwardness, but she was more indignant at his descriptions of the injustices against him and other pupils.

"Knowing all of this," she summarized, "I think I have to help you. Kitagawa, my sister is a prosecutor; she can handle the legal side of things in this case. In fact, she might be able to handle all of it, if you don't want to go into Madarame's Palace again."

"You may call me Yusuke. In regards to legality, the evidence and testimony that Goro has compiled is substantial, but it is certainly not a guarantee of our success. I would much more prefer to cover all our bases in both worlds."

"That's fine, but if he's as strong as you said, I'll need to train more before we make a move in case you have to fight him again. We still don't know how to steal his Treasure, correct?"

"That's right," Morgana confirmed. "We've looked up and down his whole Palace, but that piece of the puzzle hasn't come back to me yet. Maybe if we do a test run on Kobayakawa, I can figure it out while we're all training and exploring there."

From that point, they worked out a schedule. They'd start later in the week to give themselves more time to recover, then train in Kobayakawa's Palace until they felt strong and knowledgeable enough to try Madarame's Palace again. If Madarame was arrested, Makoto offered her sister's apartment for Yusuke to stay in. With Sae Nijima being a prosecutor, Goro doubted that she would let a minor live with them for long before sending Yusuke to a "proper facility"—an orphanage—but Makoto reassured him that Sae was not that callous. It was possible that she could even use her connections to find a suitable guardian for Yusuke and help him through the adoption process. Goro remained skeptical but continued to privately think through solutions of his own.

The discussion turned to their new discoveries about Shujin's principal. "Kobayakawa's Palace doesn't make sense to me at all," Morgana said. "I thought Palaces were made by people with very strong subconscious desires, but he's just a huge coward."

"Fear is a very strong emotion," Goro murmured. "Perhaps his attempts to repress that fear resulted in the formation of a Palace."

Morgana sighed through his nose. "What's so great about being the principal of a high school, anyway?"

"The school does have an interesting reputation," Goro said. "Being in charge of a place like that must look good to the public." Makoto nodded to confirm.

"I guess so, but he's not exactly a charismatic figure," Morgana said. "Leaders should inspire people; he should've known he wasn't cut out for the job!"

"He seems to be realizing it now," Makoto said. "He's been the principal for a few years now, as far as I know. If he's always been this useless at his job, it angers me to think about how many students' lives he must have passively ruined."

Goro and Yusuke shared a look before Goro broke eye contact, still unsure of how to act. The situation sounded familiar to both of them; adults in their lives were also taking on responsibilities that they didn't want simply for the prestige. Because foster children were seen as lesser, adopting one gave the parents a kindly reputation. A few of Goro's foster families had motivations along this line. Likewise, Madarame took on pupils, appearing to the public as a generous teacher and caretaker when he was nothing more than an abuser and a thief. 

Of course they would help Makoto with Kobayakawa, as she was helping them. Setting people like this straight was deeply important to both of them.

With all this understood but unsaid between Goro and Yusuke, the meeting disbanded. They agreed on their next infiltration date and parted ways in front of the diner. Makoto clutched her school bag to her side as she strode away, but Yusuke lingered on the street.

"I have no desire to go back just yet," he said to Goro. "Would you and Morgana like to spend some time together?"

The knot in Goro's stomach loosened, and he smiled. "Of course. Is there anything in particular you'd like to do?"

Yusuke looked around the street, eyes unfocused. "Nothing in particular interests me, except your company."

Goro stuttered for a moment. "I... would appreciate your company, as well." He stood, staring dumbly at Yusuke until he could think of a place to go. Yusuke watched passersby with lidded eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his face. "Why don't we go back inside?" He was close enough to home here, so he could rush back when the time came. There was no need to take the subway somewhere else if all they wanted to do was talk.

"Very well." Yusuke spun on his heel and headed through the door, leaving Goro to scramble in his wake.

"You better pay attention to your curfew," Morgana reminded him.

"Don't worry about me," Goro said. At this point, Yusuke's needs were more important than his, anyway.

Once they were seated back at the diner, Yusuke began speaking. "I've been thinking myself in circles for the past twenty-four hours, and it's been an utter waste of time. I need something else to focus on, yet I cannot stop thinking about this whole disaster."

"How are you feeling, physically?" Goro asked. "I haven't been faring terribly well myself. You were right; it was foolish to push myself so hard, but I wanted to make it up to you."

Yusuke tilted his head. "Make what up to me?"

"This whole disaster, as you refer to it."

"Of course I am infuriated, but you are not at fault." Yusuke reached across the table to grasp Goro's forearm. "Discovering this has been painful beyond words, and it is likely true that I would never have learned of Madarame's true character if you and Morgana had not intervened, but I appreciate your intervention. Painful truths are still worth knowing."

"I agree," Goro said. "I also wanted to apologize for my foolhardy behavior during battle. If you and Morgana hadn't saved me, I could have died. I wouldn't want to leave you two to deal with the situation alone."

"We all must be more careful in the future, then." Yusuke's hand slid down Goro's arm, and he squeezed Goro's hand before leaning back into his seat. "I truly am grateful that you found another person to help us, but you shouldn't act so rashly."

"I know." Goro crossed his arms and also leaned back, checking on Morgana in the bag. He was napping, ears occasionally twitching. "We'll have to steel ourselves the next time we enter Madarame's Palace. The stakes are too high for our emotions to get in the way of success."

"Yes," Yusuke murmured. "Perhaps our new recruit could help us with that. She seems rather sharp."

“How are you feeling about all this?” Goro asked. “You trusted her with quite a bit of personal information. I’m not sure if she deserves that trust yet.”

“If telling her of the pain we have all been through convinced her to help us, then I do not regret that exposition. I agree that she has not earned our trust, but, from what you described to me, she sounds powerful. She would make a valuable ally.” Yusuke looked around the diner idly as he spoke, seeming somewhat more present than earlier on the street. “She also has not done anything to deem her untrustworthy as of yet, correct?”

“Correct,” Goro echoed. “But with our respective pasts, you could understand my hesitation.”

“Yes, of course, but…” Yusuke sighed. “Letting Madarame break my trust in everyone around me would be a way of letting him continue to have influence over my life, even after he is brought to justice and kept away from the pupils he harmed. I believe that we need to learn how to open our hearts to others and accept the risks associated with that.”

Goro leaned even farther back, almost slouching in the booth. Goro may have been playing at maturity for years, but Yusuke was truly the more mature one if he believed in what he just said. Goro himself was absolutely not ready to trust another person, as much as he may have wanted to. He could still barely trust Morgana even after a month of working and living closely with him, yet he placed so much of his trust and emotional well-being in his connection to Yusuke. Much of that trust had been based on foolish nostalgia and sentiment, at least at first.

That didn’t seem healthy, to be so wholly invested in one person, but what could Goro do about that? At this point, he and Yusuke only had each other and a talking cat to rely on. 

“You may be right,” Goro finally said aloud. “We’ll keep working with Makoto and see how the situation develops. I am interested in learning more about Kobayakawa’s Palace.”

“I, as well.”

They lapsed into silence, but Goro felt more relaxed around Yusuke now that some of his guilt had been absolved. Yusuke said it wasn’t his fault, and of course it wasn’t; this was all Madarame’s fault, but Goro still felt terribly that he and Yusuke had to discover the true depths of Madarame’s cruelty. 

After listening to background chatter for a while longer, Yusuke stood. “I’m feeling better now. Thank you for speaking with me.”

Goro swallowed as he checked the time on his phone. He didn’t want to leave yet. “I still have some time before I have to be home, if you'd like to do something else.”

Yusuke smiled and offered Goro a hand to help him out of the booth. Goro grabbed his bag, apologizing to Morgana as the cat awoke with a startle, and took Yusuke’s hand to pull himself up. “What would you like to do?” Yusuke asked.

“A movie might help take your mind off everything,” Goro said. This time, he squeezed Yusuke’s hand in comfort before letting go. “There’s a French film getting good reviews in the news.”

Yusuke’s eyes were lidded again, but he seemed more relaxed than dissociative. “That sounds lovely.”

Lovely. Yusuke always chose such interesting words.

Goro broke eye contact and led them out of the building, then down the street to the theater. The movie was essentially a love story spanning several decades: not something that ordinarily would have interested Goro, but there were several family dramas out at the moment that would not have sat well with him or Yusuke. This was the best option, and it would give him something to talk about with film buffs, at least.

Morgana seemed more enraptured than Yusuke, which was not necessarily surprising; Morgana always loved to watch the news or even the commercials on television when Goro had the chance to use it, and the advertisements around the city interested him, as well.

From sneaking a few glances to his left, Goro could tell that Yusuke also seemed interested. Goro himself felt on edge the whole time, waiting for some aspect of family drama that would trigger memories of their current situation, but none came. The couple’s families were hardly mentioned at all, which Goro was grateful for. It would be difficult to avoid media with that subject matter in the future, but he suspected that both of them would grow more tolerant as their wounds closed.

They had to get Madarame out of the picture before they could really begin healing, though.

Goro didn’t end up paying as much attention to the film as he would have liked; he was ultimately too busy checking to see if Yusuke was enjoying himself to read all the subtitles, and he didn’t understand much French. Nonetheless, as he stood, he was relieved to see a small smile on Yusuke’s face.

“Thank you for this,” Yusuke said as they exited. “It was just the diversion I needed.” He turned his smile to Goro once they stood outside. “Something about listening to another language makes me feel as though I am truly a part of a larger world, and the film’s overall optimistic but bittersweet tone was refreshing.” He took a small notebook from his bag and wrote something down, then moved his pencil in longer strokes as he sketched. “I attempted to paint last night, but the anger and resentment the canvas evoked overwhelmed me. I may try sketching as an alternative and sharing the results with you.”

“Of course,” Goro said, returning the smile. Yusuke was too focused on his paper to notice, but he hoped that his tone conveyed his sincerity. “I would love to see your art whenever you feel like sharing.”

“I wanna see, too!” Morgana said at Goro’s side, and Goro nearly startled. He had forgotten Morgana was there for a moment. 

Yusuke looked up with a laugh. “I may bring some sketches to our next meeting, then.” He rubbed Goro’s shoulder and patted Morgana’s head, then started his walk home. “I will see you both soon.”

“Call me if you need anything,” Goro said. That offer wasn’t really his to extend, as his foster parents would resent receiving a call from someone they didn’t know, but he and Yusuke knew each other’s schedules well enough that they could work around it. Morgana must also have picked up on the inconsistency from the strange look he gave Goro, but he didn’t comment.

“The same goes to you.” Yusuke waved over his shoulder, then mingled with the afternoon crowd and disappeared.

Goro began his own commute home, trying to think of nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Makoto and Kobayakawa are a bit different here; 2 years before the game, I'd imagine that Makoto is determined but a bit more skittish than she is in the game. I also assumed that Kobayakawa would be more insecure in his position; I don't think we really know why he used his connections to get his job as principal in the first place, so I'm guessing. As always, feel free to ask for clarification! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was travelling last week so I missed the update, but this chapter is the first part of a double update! I had to split events up into two chapters, otherwise it would have been too long. Also, a perspective switch! Most of the fic will be from Goro’s perspective, but we’re switching to Yusuke at certain times. Enjoy!

**May 23, 2014 (Friday)**

“Queen, get out of the way!”

Makoto dodged a blast of fire, shaking her wrist out after the last blow she landed. Yusuke finished the last Shadow off with a bufu spell, then joined the others to debrief in the nearest safe room.

Morgana hopped up on the table, punching the air a bit with excitement. “You’re all doing great today!” he meowed. “Queen, you’re learning the ropes a lot faster than these two did, and they were pretty good.”

Goro leaned against the table with a scoff. “We were in a life or death situation when our Personas first manifested. It’s not really a valid comparison.”

It had been like this for most of the afternoon, Goro making barbs at their newest member and Makoto fending them off. Yusuke would have to talk to him about that later; he hardly had the emotional energy at the moment.

“The Shadows are more powerful than I would have anticipated,” he said for now. “From what you all told me, Kobayakawa’s Shadow was not confrontational.”

“No, but he’s certainly been going on the defensive with gusto,” Goro said. “It seems like his deep-set fear manifests as both aversion to his duties and aggression to threats.”

“Do we have any idea how close we are to the Treasure?” Makoto asked.

“We’ve only been at it for a few hours, so I’d guess there’s quite a way to go.” Morgana tapped a paw to his head. “I feel like I’m on the verge of remembering something, though. Maybe if we run into the Palace owner’s Shadow again, it’ll jog my memory on how to steal the Treasure. This is great training for now, though—it seems like the Shadows here are even more powerful than the ones in Madarame’s Palace.”

“Please let us know as soon as you remember anything more,” Yusuke requested. “I would prefer to take Madarame down before Kobayakawa, if at all possible.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Morgana shook out his limbs, then headed for the door. “I’m ready to keep going if you guys are.”

“How are you faring, Queen?” Goro asked, lacing her code name with sarcasm. “We’d like to get a bit more done today, if you can manage.”

“I’m doing just fine, thank you.” Makoto also walked toward the door, glaring at Goro over her shoulder. “Let’s move along.”

So far, the Palace had consisted of narrow hallways, dim fluorescent lighting, and cramped offices. Deeper back on the first floor, they had found what looked like visiting rooms with panes of glass separating visitor from prisoner, but they had all been empty. Next to the first safe room was a set of stairs leading up and a door that seemed to lead outside.

“Would it be worth talking to some of the students in the yard?” Yusuke wondered. 

“I certainly think so,” Makoto said. “I’m interested to see if all the cognitive students in this Palace correspond to real-world Shujin students. From what Kobayakawa’s Shadow said, it doesn’t seem as though he even knows his students well enough to distinguish their names and faces.”

They headed outside and snuck up on the guards to defeat them, then walked around the rec yard, allowing Makoto to take the lead. No sign of recognition crossed her expression as she searched the crowd of faces, and they returned to the entrance inside.

“As I suspected,” she sighed. “Not even the student council president was among this crowd. Perhaps we could find her somewhere else within the Palace.”

Goro looked a bit smug as he followed Makoto back inside, and Yusuke frowned at him. They headed for the second floor. At the top of the stairs were a narrow corridor and five doors, two on either wall and one in front of them. They spread out to try the locks and found that only one of the doors on the left wall was open. 

“We’ll have to make some lockpicks for the next time we come,” Morgana said. He tried kneeling on all fours to look under the locked doors, but he couldn’t seem to see anything. “Let’s go through the next door, but be careful.”

Goro inched the unlocked door open, peeking in the crack as soon as it was large enough to see through. “It’s just another empty hallway,” he whispered. The four of them walked in and looked around the hall. Each door had a small plate beside it, and Goro read one aloud. “Kawakami. That’s one of the names we heard Ms. Usami mention, correct? Could these be—”

“What are you all doing here?”

They turned as one to see a short woman emerging from one of the farther offices. She glared at them and walked closer without hesitation. Their weapons were drawn, but she barely spared them a glance. “You’re the problem students from the other day,” she said. “What are you doing snooping around?”

“Ms. Usami,” Makoto said, “we’re looking for Kobayakawa. Have you seen him?”

Ms. Usami snorted. “Not recently. He’s probably holed up in his office, as usual.” Yusuke tried looking around her shoulder, but she spread her arms, taking up the tiny hall. “This area’s off-limits. If Kobayakawa’s not going to be around to discipline you, I’ll have to do it myself.”

They backed up as the teacher’s form changed, expanding grotesquely into a large Shadow. “Get ready, everyone!” Morgana called, and they leapt into battle.

The other three always fought smartly, dodging strikes and trying different attacks to find the most effective element. They had learned their lesson after Madarame, and Makoto seemed like a naturally cautious and strategic person in any case. It had been about a week since their confrontation with Madarame, but, every time he remembered what Madarame had done to his mother, the wound stung as fresh as its first cut. He’d been holding back, trying to focus on training today, but this seemed like the last push before they stopped for the day. 

In short, Yusuke could unleash all his anger on this one Shadow right here and now. The others would back him up.

He went for it, swinging his katana with the force of his pent-up emotions behind it. The Shadow screeched in pain, and he attacked again, using Goemon to power up the strike. He continued until he was exhausted, downed a potion, and continued still.

“Fox, watch out!” Morgana said. “You’re leaving yourself wide open!”

Yusuke scoffed and dug his blade point-first into the Shadow’s side, twisting it once its hilt touched the Shadow’s skin. It screamed and swiped at him, and he had to let go of his weapon to roll out of the way. The Shadow’s arms flailed, found the weapon, tore it out, and threw it farther back into the hall. Yusuke darted after it but was hit by another swipe of the enemy’s arm.

“Fox!”

Morgana and Goro were at his side while Makoto continued dealing blows. Morgana healed him, and he gave a quick thanks before running after his katana again. 

“Wait!”

Morgana ducked under the Shadow’s body to run after Yusuke, but Goro was hit and stayed on the other side of the hall with Makoto. “You have to be careful,” Morgana hissed. “We can’t be split up for any reason in battle! We have to get back over there.”

“Attacking it from two sides should be more efficient,” Yusuke argued, then slashed at the Shadow’s back. It turned, leaving itself open to attack from the other two. After taking several blows to both sides, the Shadow cast a fire spell that hit all four of its attackers. Yusuke fell to the ground, struggling even to stay on all fours.

Morgana healed him again, and he stood, swaying. “Just calm down and guard yourself,” Morgana said. “It’s about to attack again, and you’re weak to fire.”

Yusuke grit his teeth and went for another attack.

“Fox, you idiot! Stop!”

He was hit by another blast of fire and knocked his head against the wall, then slid to the floor. The sounds of battle continued around him, and he tried to lift himself without success.

One last screech sounded as the Shadow faded away in front of him, and then three sets of footsteps approached him. Morgana used a snuff soul, then summoned Zorro to heal Yusuke a third time.

Goro’s gauntlet extended to Yusuke, and he took the hand to help himself up.

“You and Crow need to cool it,” Morgana said. “Queen’s the only one fighting with any sense lately! You guys would do fine if you just used your heads.” He shook his head. “That was our last snuff soul, too. We’ll have to come back another day.”

“It must be easy for you to cast such judgements when you have no emotional connection to anything happening around you,” Yusuke said. His grip tightened around Goro’s hand, then let go. 

“That’s not true,” Morgana argued. “I care about you guys, and that’s why I don’t want to see you hurt! How am I supposed to remember anything if my team can’t even keep itself together?”

“I have been trying to keep myself together,” Yusuke said. “It has been immensely difficult. Can you imagine continuing to live with the man who passively watched your mother die?”

Morgana looked to the floor, downcast. “Of course not, but…”

“I merely had to let some aggression out.” Yusuke found his katana on the ground and sheathed it. “I have already composed myself. We may move along.”

Goro looked at Yusuke with concern, but he broke eye contact to look around the hall. “We should investigate this hall before heading back for the day. It might give us a clue about how to proceed.”

“What if another teacher comes and attacks us?” Makoto asked. “We’re in no shape to keep fighting. We should turn back now.”

“Afraid of someone calling you a problem student again? If you’re going to continue working with us, you’ll have to accustom yourself to it.”

Makoto clenched her fists. “I’m just trying to think of what’s best for the team, and, frankly, you’ve been awful to me all day. You’re the one who asked me to join in the first place—I don’t understand why you’re treating me like this. I can always leave, you know.”

“I don’t think you would.” Goro wasn’t quite glaring, but his jaw was tense. “You’re too curious to give up, and it would be unwise to explore this Palace on your own. Don’t waste everyone’s time with empty threats—”

“Will you both shut up?” Morgana looked up and down the hall, ears rotating. “If there were more teachers around, you’d be alerting all of them with your bickering. I agree that we’re all exhausted, so let’s just head back for the day.”

Goro’s head swiveled to Morgana, lip curling slightly. “We may as well maximize our efficiency. What do you think we should do, Fox?” he asked.

Yusuke knew that Goro expected him to take his side, and, ordinarily, he would. However, he felt shaky on his feet just standing still; it would be difficult to investigate with any stealth in such a state. “I am spent,” he said, “and we have been fighting for quite some time. It would be better to return another day, when we are able to investigate more quietly.”

Something flickered across Goro’s expression, but he suppressed it. “Very well,” he said.

They headed down the stairs to the safe room in silence. As soon as they shut the door behind them, Morgana turned on Goro and Makoto. “Okay, you two. What’s going on? We can’t keep working together if you’re going to fight like this all the time.”

Yusuke sunk into a chair, allowing his eyelids to close partway. “I agree,” he said. “Crow, I understand your caution, but I believe it is in everyone’s best interest to coexist as peacefully as possible.”

Goro leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “I’ve just been holding our new recruit to a high standard.”

“Which I’m meeting,” Makoto said. “That’s not the issue. Look, you’re not that hard to read; I can tell that it wasn’t your idea to bring me into this and that you’re resentful of me even being here, but that’s not my problem. I’m here now, and you’re going to have to deal with it.”

Goro’s shoulders tensed. He didn’t respond.

“Is there anything we can do to help you feel more at ease?” Yusuke asked. “I know it is difficult to trust a new person, but we have already gone too far to turn back. Queen has proved herself a helpful and pleasant teammate so far. There is no need for you to be aggressive towards her.”

Goro was silent for some time longer, and then his posture slackened with a hard sigh. “I suppose an apology is in order, then.” He lifted his visor to look at Makoto. “Everything that you said is true. I am being defensive, and none of that is your fault. You must understand that the three of us have had a very difficult month, and adding a fourth person into the mix has complicated matters. I… apologize for treating you unfairly.”

Makoto offered a strained smile. “From what it sounds like, you’ve all been through a hard time. I really would like to help, and I do appreciate the apology.”

They settled into a new silence, and Yusuke nearly dozed off before Goro said, “I’ve been wondering about our latest encounter. We defeated Kobayakawa’s cognitive version of Ms. Usami, but what are the implications of that? If he no longer has any cognition of her, does that mean he will forget about her entirely?”

“I don’t think so,” Morgana said. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see if she’s back next time we come here, but even if she’s not, that doesn’t mean we deleted her from Kobayakawa’s memory. This place isn’t as much a reflection of his memories as of his thoughts and beliefs.” Morgana paused to think, resting his paws just above his belt. “So if we destroyed his cognition of Ms. Usami, then he probably won’t have any pre-conceived notions about her when he next sees her in the real world.”

“Fascinating.” Goro left his place against the wall to rest in a seat near Yusuke. “It seems that he thought of her as very critical and unpleasant. She may be so in the real world, but perhaps not to that extent. This could improve his interactions with her, then.”

“Ms. Usami is pleasant enough,” Makoto said. “She does get frustrated with students who don’t pay attention or apply themselves, but she doesn’t seem as strict or condescending as Kobayakawa’s version of her.”

“Fascinating,” Goro repeated. “Is there a way that you could keep tabs on the situation for us?”

“I’ll try spending more time by the principal’s office or the teacher’s lounge, but I don’t want to draw suspicion.” Makoto bent at the waist, leaning her elbows onto the creaky folding table. “I’ll certainly let you know if I see anything out of the ordinary.”

Goro offered a strained smile of his own. “Thank you.”

Morgana rocked back and forth from his perch on the table, apparently deep in thought. “So, if my guess is right, then we can change the target’s cognition by messing around in their Palace. It would make sense that their Palace would also change if something in the real world changed, like if Ms. Usami was suddenly super nice or something.”

Goro opened his mouth to say something, but Morgana continued, clapping his paws together. “I think that’s the key to making the Treasure manifest!” he said. “We have to do something in the real world that changes their perceptions.” He pressed both paws against his head, as if trying to force a more specific answer from his brain. “I just… can’t think of what that would be.”

“Perhaps we need to know what the Treasure is before we can make it manifest?” Yusuke suggested. “We did have to guess at what each Palace’s distortion was before we could access it; this process could be similar.”

“Maybe.” Morgana squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating intensely, then deflated with a sigh. “I can’t think of anything right now.”

“We’ll have to return soon to train and jog your memory,” Goro said. “We made very good progress today. How are you feeling about your first infiltration, Queen?”

“Great,” Makoto said. She cracked her knuckles and smiled again. “This is very gratifying work, and it’s also been insightful. I’m excited to continue soon.”

“We’ll have to stock up on supplies tomorrow,” Goro said. “Shall we continue on Sunday?”

They reached a consensus and agreed to exit the Metaverse for today. Yusuke nearly stumbled as he stood, but he straightened up without further issues. Goro’s hands were braced near him for support, but they retreated as Yusuke steadied himself.

Once they made it back to the entrance of Shujin Academy, Makoto split off from the group, and Morgana hopped back into Goro’s bag. Goro got his belongings in order and turned to Yusuke.

“Will you be able to make it home?” he asked, voice low.

“I am accustomed to the walk,” Yusuke replied. “There should be no problems.”

Goro frowned. “I have enough to cover your subway fare. Please, let me escort you home.”

“That should not be necessary.” At the look of hurt on Goro’s face, Yusuke added, “You have already done enough for me. I do not need you risking your own safety for me—what would your guardians do if you arrived home late again?”

Goro’s fist clenched tighter around his bag. “At least let me walk you to the station and give you the fare.”

He did not seem prepared to take no for an answer, so they began the walk to the subway together. Yusuke was exhausted, but the gentle heat of the spring afternoon restored some of his vitality.

“I’d like to apologize for my behavior again,” Goro said once they merged with the commuter crowd. “We just discussed this earlier, but I still cannot find it within me to trust Makoto. I’m trying.”

“Try harder,” Yusuke said. “The passive-aggressive comments were quite out of line. If I can bring myself to rely on her, then you surely can, as well.”

Goro’s grip tightened on his bag. “You’re right. I should apologize to her again.”

“I’m glad there’s someone who can talk some sense into you,” Morgana piped in. “This guy never listens to me, Yusuke!”

Yusuke laughed, and Goro jostled his bag playfully, putting a finger to his lips as Morgana yowled. “Quiet. We don’t want to attract attention.”

Morgana curled up in the bag, muttering to himself.

They descended the stairs to the subway and prepared to part ways. “It seems that we’ve both taken more foolhardy risks lately,” Goro said. “Seeing you put yourself in that situation pained me. We’ll both be able to focus more after we defeat Madarame, correct?”

“Correct. Seeing you endanger yourself and nearly faint was also very frightening for me.” Yusuke shook off the memory. There were too many unpleasant mental images already swirling around him. “I hope we both take this day off to regain our senses.”

“Yes,” Goro murmured. He held out his palm, fare in hand. “Please get home safe and get some rest.”

“Thank you.” Yusuke took the coins, using his other hand to squeeze Goro’s shoulder. “I truly feel as though I cannot thank you both enough. We are getting closer every day to a resolution that should put my poor mother’s soul to rest.”

Goro smiled. “I hope we can resolve this soon.”

They lingered a moment longer, then left for their respective trains. Yusuke ran his fingertips over the coins, looking over his shoulder. Goro also looked back at the same time, and his eyes widened before he smiled again and waved goodbye. Yusuke raised a hand in turn and headed home.

**May 25, 2014 (Sunday)**

At this point in Yusuke’s life, Kobayakawa’s Palace felt more welcoming than the house he’d lived in for the past ten years. He was glad to return for another round of investigating and training—anything to keep his mind from wandering.

They were all back on the second floor, ready to go into the unlocked door with the teacher’s offices behind it. “We only had time to make two lockpicks yesterday,” Morgana said. Goro produced them from his pocket to demonstrate. “We’ll have to decide which doors we want to unlock and look behind today, but we should investigate these offices for now and see if they’ll tell us where Kobayakawa’s office is.”

They agreed, already working much more cohesively than two days prior, and listened at the door for any sounds. “I don’t hear anything, but we should all be ready for another battle,” Morgana whispered.

The four of them proceeded slowly through the next hall, looking into the small windows on each door and going inside only when they confirmed each was empty. Once they had confirmed that no more Shadows were present, they split up to investigate the offices. Yusuke took the office labelled _Kawakami_ , but her desk was completely bare: nothing on top or in the drawers. He couldn’t find anything of note in the room and met up with the others in the hallway.

They confirmed that each office was empty, even Ms. Usami’s. “Do you think there was something in her office before we defeated her Shadow?” Makoto asked.

“Perhaps we should have checked immediately after,” Goro said. At Makoto’s frown, he added, “I understand why we didn’t, however. Queen, were you able to note any changes in Kobayakawa’s or Usami’s behavior?”

“Ms. Usami was the same as ever in math class,” Makoto said, “and I didn’t see Kobayakawa at all yesterday. He’s usually working in his office all day and doesn’t really interact with the students, just like in his Palace.”

“What do we think it means that all the offices are empty?” Morgana asked.

Makoto clenched her fists. “He probably knows the teachers as well as he knows the students: barely at all. The only reason Ms. Usami even had a Shadow here was probably because she asks him enough questions to make it on his radar. There’s no telling if we might come across any other teachers.”

“So there are no clues to be had here,” Goro concluded. “Shall we move along?”

They returned to the central hall and investigated the four locked doors. “None of these are labelled,” Yusuke said. “Does that mean that they all lead to hallways, as well?” 

“That’s possible,” Goro replied. “It would stand to reason that the door at the end of the hall leads to the stairs, but that’s only a hypothesis.”

“It makes sense,” Makoto said. “I think we should use one of the lockpicks on that door; Kobayakawa’s office is probably on a higher floor.”

Morgana waved the other three over to the door next to the one they just came through. “I can just barely hear voices behind this door,” he said. “Should we check it out?”

They all listened, but no one seemed able to make out any words. “It’s our best lead,” Goro said, and he set to work picking the lock. The voices behind the door went silent as Goro worked, and they cautiously opened the door into a small room.

Makoto pushed ahead of the others, her eyes widening in recognition as she looked at each student’s face. “Haru? What are you doing in the student council room?”

A girl with an impressive mane of hair smiled at Makoto, but her expression seemed empty. It chilled Yusuke to see that many of the other students had similarly off expressions. “I’m here to propose the creation of a gardening club,” she said. 

“And I’m telling her it’s a complete waste of resources,” the girl at the head of the table said. From her authoritative tone, Yusuke assumed she was the president. “The only extracurriculars that help students succeed are sports and student council. Everything else looks mediocre to universities.”

Makoto frowned and took the empty seat. Goro and Morgana hissed at her to wait, but she continued speaking as though she hadn’t heard them. “I don’t think that’s true. Music and the arts are important, too, and I think a gardening club would round out our extracurricular offerings well. It teaches discipline and accountability for your mistakes.”

Kobayakawa’s cognitive version of Haru offered another empty smile.

Makoto was intelligent enough to understand that arguing with them would do no good. Why was she wasting time on this? To collect information? The council members were getting more agitated as Makoto continued; Yusuke would be more than happy to fight all of them if need be, but they still had other things to accomplish today.

“Art and music are a waste of time,” another student said. “If students want to pursue that, they should transfer to a different school.”

A fourth student cleared their throat. “We focus on preparing students for success here, which means not wasting funds on programs that universities look down upon.”

“What are you all talking about?” Yusuke demanded, stepping fully into the room. 

Every gaze turned to him in unison. “Who are you?” they all asked.

“A student of the arts,” Yusuke said. “There are many things that athletics and farcical positions of power over others cannot teach. The ability to inquire into human nature is certainly one of them, and—”

“That’s not concrete enough,” the president argued back. “I can guarantee that you won’t get into a good school with an essay about your little inquiries.”

Yusuke grit his teeth. “What manner of hivemind is this?” he asked. “You’ve all been spitting the same rhetoric at anyone who disagrees with you. Can you not reason for yourselves?”

“We don’t need to,” someone said.

Oh. That’s what this was about—more adults using children as pawns.

Makoto leaned forward, ready to continue the discussion, but Yusuke laid a hand on her arm. “Queen, we should leave.”

She turned to him, jaw set. “I suppose you’re right. We’re getting nowhere.”

They exited the room, but Haru followed them out. “Thank you for taking my side,” she said to Makoto. “I really want to waste everyone’s time and resources, and getting more students to see that could help me start the club!”

This was getting ridiculous, and Makoto looked rather uncomfortable. “You don’t really think that,” she said. “It’s all just what Kobayakawa thinks. He’s essentially brainwashed the whole student council.”

“The implications are disturbing,” Yusuke added. “He only seems to bother with the students who participate on the council, thinking nothing of all the others, and shapes those students in the way he sees fit.”

“That’s just the practical thing to do,” Haru said, voice flat. “Paying attention to students like me, who have new, useless ideas, makes things more complicated. The easiest course of action is to focus on the few promising students and highlight their achievements.”

Goro rested a hand over his chest. “I would suppose there is no room for unwanted children, then,” he murmured. It was directed more at Yusuke than Haru, a reference to the words of Madarame’s Shadow from over a month ago. The two shared a look; they knew what it was to be molded by someone else’s expectations, and they would suppose that Makoto did, as well.

“That’s right,” Haru answered nonetheless. “Problem students are best swept under the rug.”

Makoto clenched her fists, then sighed as she remembered the nature of the Palace. “It’s useless to argue,” she said. “Why don’t you go back in and keep talking with the council?”

“Okay.” Haru turned mechanically and headed back in, shutting the door behind her.

Morgana shivered. “That was really creepy. I feel like we just wasted a lockpick.”

“We learned a bit more about Kobayakawa,” Makoto pointed out. “We already knew that he doesn’t care about his students and doesn’t want his job, but now we also know that he strategically picks the people on student council—and on sports teams, though not as directly—to act as martyrs for the school. He has to keep up the school’s reputation to make his job worthwhile.” She crossed her arms with another sigh. “I still don’t really believe his reason for taking the job in the first place, though. There are more prestigious jobs than being a high school principal; being the owner of a business could bring just as much recognition, if not more.”

“Perhaps this was the best he could get,” Yusuke said. He turned to Morgana. “Have you thought any more about how to manifest Treasures?”

Morgana scratched his cheek. “Nothing about that whole scene jogged my memory. I’m just glad we didn’t get into a fight with all those guys, otherwise we’d have been totally outnumbered.”

“I’m sure we could have handled it,” Goro said. “To the stairs, then?”

They moved along after Goro picked the second lock, heading to the third floor. Makoto seemed to want to investigate the other two locked doors, but that would be a waste of time at this point; their ultimate goal was still to bring Madarame to justice. They could deal with Kobayakawa at any time after that.

The third floor took on a more labyrinthine structure; the first two floors had been more orderly, but here was where the building itself defied logic in self-defense. Finding Kobayakawa’s office in this mess would be an endeavor, especially because they didn’t even know how many floors there were to the whole Palace. It would likely get worse the farther up they went.

“Let’s get started,” Goro declared, and they set off for another round of training.

After what felt like an hour of exploring and fighting, they found a safe room, then continued their push forward. The team seemed to have high energy, which was useful when they ran into another one of Kobayakawa’s cognitions.

A woman with a messy bob of hair wandered the hall next to the safe room, eyes glassy. She turned to the four as they approached her and went still. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Hello, Ms. Kawakami. Sorry to intrude, but we have urgent business with the principal,” Makoto said. “Would you happen to know where his office is?”

“What sort of business?” the woman asked.

“He wasn’t at the student council meeting today, and I have the minutes. We discussed some important points that I think he should look over.”

Kawakami narrowed her eyes and sized them up. “I don’t see you carrying any papers. Are you lying to me?”

“No,” Makoto stuttered, “we sent them to him in an email, but I thought it would be best to review it with him in person.” She forced a smile. “I know how many emails you all have to wade through every day.”

Kawakami didn’t react to the joke. “I don’t believe you.” They all braced themselves, but her gaze merely wandered to some point over their heads, eyes still unfocused. “But I don’t really have the time to deal with this. Get back to the yard, and I won’t tell anyone about this.”

Morgana looked to the others. “Should we run?” he whispered.

“Absolutely not,” Yusuke said. “We’ve come this far for answers, and fighting Usami led to you remembering more last time. Another serious battle may help you along.”

“You don’t think it’ll be a waste of energy?” Morgana asked. “It seems like we still have a ways to go.”

Kawakami made the decision for them, finally focusing her gaze. “Now I know you’re all up to something,” she said, “and I’m going to make this extra painful for the time you’re about to waste.”

She morphed into another Shadow, and they launched into another fight. Kawakami was significantly more powerful than Usami, but she didn’t use fire magic, which meant Yusuke didn’t have to be as mindful about guarding and dodging. They got through the battle well enough, and, rather than dissipating, Kawakami reverted to her humanoid form once defeated. She addressed them while propping herself against the wall.

“Looking for the principal, huh,” she repeated. “Fine. You guys have more spirit than the other students. I’ll give you a hint; his office isn’t where you’d expect it. You’ll have to use your heads instead of wasting time investigating this whole place.” She looked down, apathetic, as her limbs started fading to black. “Interesting how he’s never around, isn’t it? Maybe you should try getting a message to him.”

“What do you mean?” Makoto demanded, but Kawakami’s image disappeared before they could get an answer. 

“Great fighting, everyone!” Morgana said. “We’re already working a lot better as a team. We might even be ready to fight Madarame soon as a backup plan.”

“Any new thoughts on the Treasure?” Yusuke asked. Morgana shook his head, looking apologetic.

“I have a question I’ve been wondering about for a while,” Makoto added. “We’ve been destroying these cognitions and it hasn’t impacted their real-world counterparts so far; Ms. Usami is doing fine, and I would assume that Ms. Kawakami herself is unchanged by the fact that we just destroyed Kobayakawa’s image of her.” She looked down the hall, mouth set in a thin line. “What happens if we kill the Palace owner’s Shadow?”

Morgana shivered. “That question gives me a really bad feeling. I think that’s something we should avoid doing at all costs; just stealing the Treasure and subduing the Shadow should be good enough.”

“What do you think of the last thing Kawakami said?” Goro asked, hand to his chin. “It’s interesting that a part of his own subconscious would give us a clue like that.”

“Seriously,” Morgana said. “This guy gets more pathetic the deeper we go; it’s almost like he wants us to just steal his Treasure and get it over with.” He tilted his head to one side. “What was the last thing she said? Something about sending a message? That sounds…” He trailed off.

“Is there a PA system we could use?” Makoto suggested. “Maybe we can lure his Shadow to us.”

“It looked like there might be something like that in the office near the entrance,” Goro said. “It would certainly be worth a try.”

“Is that what she meant?” Morgana wondered aloud. He was unaware that he had attracted everyone’s attention until a few moments later, when he startled. “Oh! Don’t mind me. I have to ponder this some more. What Queen said sounds good to me.”

They rested in the safe room, then returned to the first floor. Knowing the layout relatively well, they were able to sneak into the front office without incident. Once inside, they took out a few guards and found the system used for making announcements.

Makoto leaned into the mic, lowering her voice into a rough imitation of Usami. “Would Principal Kobayakawa please report to the front office?”

Goro stifled a laugh as she turned the mic off. “Interesting technique,” he said.

“It was the best I could do.” Makoto crossed her arms. “Let’s just wait and see what happens.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was not Kobayakawa’s Shadow who entered the office minutes later, but another set of guards led by a teacher. “The principal’s already locked himself away for the afternoon,” he said. “I’m here in his stead, which seems to be for the better. I thought we had guards to keep the kids from playing around with the equipment.”

They entered into battle with both the main Shadow and the guards. The four of them were a bit battered from their earlier fight with Kawakami, but they held their own, defeating the lesser Shadows first and then focusing their attacks on the larger one. They defeated it without any significant issues, and it faded away, leaving the room eerily silent.

“What was that he said about Kobayakawa locking himself away?” Goro asked. “When we first encountered his Shadow, he described Shujin as a prison of his own making. Could it be that his office is in one of the cells?”

“All the cells on this floor are empty,” Makoto pointed out. “It would still have to be farther up.”

“Shall we continue our investigation of the third floor or stop here?”

Morgana frowned, crossing his little arms tightly. “Normally, I’d say we should call it a day, but I really feel like I’m on the verge of remembering something,” he said. “Sending a message…”

“Sending one over the announcements didn’t work,” Makoto said, “so maybe a note would work if we knew where to deliver it. Does the prison have a mailing system?”

“A note,” Morgana repeated. He paused, then hopped up and down. “That’s it! Queen, you genius! The calling card—that’s what I was trying to remember the whole time!”

They heard him out as he explained how to make the Treasure manifest, then began formulating a plan to deliver the calling card. “It would be easiest to simply have me slip it under the door to his room,” Yusuke said. “I know his schedule well enough to orchestrate it; all we need is a day with open availability.”

“If we’re anticipating that the operation will take a while, then a weekend would be best,” Goro said.

“I don’t think it should take that long,” Morgana said, still excited from recovering the memory. “If we sneak past Madarame, it’ll be real quick; even if we get caught, we’ve gotten a lot stronger over just the past few days, and we have a whole ‘nother team member!”

“We also know a bit more about his attack strategy, which should make things go a bit more smoothly if we do get caught,” Goro conceded. “How does a Tuesday sound, then? It should really be up to you, Fox.”

“As soon as possible.”

They agreed on Tuesday and disbanded for the day. Yusuke longed to spend more time with the team, but exhaustion was creeping in and Madarame would be home soon. He declined Goro’s offer of subway fare and walked home, deep in thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to find a way to include Haru earlier in this fic, but I ultimately decided that I like writing smaller casts better, and one of the reasons Persona games feel kind of unhinged to me at the end is because there are too many ding-dang characters! Haru will be around sometimes in the bg but won't join til much later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second part of a double update, so go back to the last chapter if you skipped straight to here! Enjoy!

**May 27, 2014 (Tuesday)**

Yusuke had designed the most beautiful calling card, and it really was a shame that its artistic value would go right over Madarame’s head. 

The message was the most important thing, of course—“The Phantom Thieves will steal Ichiryusai Madarame’s rotten heart” and so on, name courtesy of Morgana—but the design would only heighten the devastating impact of the words, in Yusuke’s opinion. Perhaps if his life completely fell apart after today’s operation, he could make some living from graphic design. It seemed like a lucrative enough field.

The card radiated a nervous energy from Yusuke’s bag throughout the school day, taking his regular undercurrent of anxiety to a new level. He hadn’t dared leave it at home in case Madarame went through his possessions; there was very little room for error in this plan, and Yusuke wasn’t about to ruin his chance at freedom with careless mistakes. If that meant he had to spend the day in a state of paranoia, fine.

He arrived home, slipped the card under the front door to the shack, and went to the living room. Goro, Morgana, and Makoto soon arrived at the scheduled time, and they all hid outside to wait.

Madarame arrived home, found the card, and read the words aloud. Morgana’s sensitive ears could pick up the individual words, but even Yusuke could hear the tone of contempt from his position. It was a tone that Madarame would never allow himself to show in front of anyone, as it would rupture the public persona he had spent so many years building. Yusuke allowed himself a moment of grim satisfaction; his work had elicited a powerful emotional reaction, and wasn’t that the point of art?

“Akechi, hit the app icon,” Morgana whispered, and they were standing before the museum, red lights blaring. “We’ll go straight to the Treasure room, but we have to stay out of sight. Security’s at maximum.”

They proceeded without a hitch and finally saw the Treasure, in tangible form but covered by a sheet. Morgana’s eyes lit up when he saw it, and the others almost had to hold him back from making a mad dash to it. “Who was the one who warned us to stay out of sight?” Goro pointed out, irritation seeping into his voice. “We’re not about to let your impulses ruin everything.”

But the plan was thoroughly ruined within the next few minutes, anyway, and again they had to face Madarame’s sneering Shadow. Again Yusuke had to watch that hateful face distort into four separate portraits, and again he had to bite back his nausea.

As objective and rational as Goro and Yusuke tried to be, Makoto and Morgana were clearly the ones holding the team together for this battle. They had briefed Makoto on the Shadow’s attack style beforehand, and Makoto had helped them devise a strategy. As long as they stuck to that strategy, they should pull through.

After a decade of forcing himself to become numb, Yusuke allowed himself to put his cold fury to a good use. He had learned from his blunder in Kobayakawa’s Palace last week, and he complied with the plan, attacking when commanded and providing support when necessary. Part of him still longed to hack away at each portrait until he reduced the Shadow to a pile of rubbish, but he had tried that last time. It had not gone well.

Then Morgana had the idea to splatter paint on the canvas, and Yusuke got his chance. Madarame’s Shadow crouched before them, helpless, and Yusuke showed no mercy.

It was nearly impossible for him to dial back once the portraits formed again, but Goro’s hand on his shoulder helped, as did Morgana’s level-headed narration of the battle. They continued until another opportunity presented itself, and that was it.

“Please don’t kill me,” Madarame’s Shadow gasped. Yusuke and Goro didn’t have much sympathy, but killing was not part of the plan. Yusuke claimed the Treasure that had been discarded on the ground during their battle and unveiled it: an image of the Sayuri holding a baby, looking at it with a maternal love he could barely remember receiving.

Yusuke swallowed the lump in his throat, then turned the canvas to Madarame. “This was worth ruining so many lives over?”

Madarame looked up from his place on the tile floor, then lowered his head, eyes teary. “I… I thought so, but…”

“You should have thought harder.” Yusuke took the canvas and held it to his chest. “It would belong with my mother if she was still alive, but you certainly made sure that was not the case. I’m taking it from you in her stead.”

Madarame didn’t respond. His hands trembled against the Palace floor. 

“You disgust me,” Yusuke concluded, “and I’m through letting you control me. You were never a proper guardian.”

He turned and walked away, and he heard three sets of footsteps follow after a moment’s pause.

They returned to the real world, but the Sayuri didn’t disappear. Yusuke stared, running his fingers over its sides, not daring to touch the paint.

“You did it,” Goro whispered.

Yusuke again covered the portrait, again held it to his chest. “Thank you all,” he said. His voice shook as he looked up at the sky, and his eyes widened as he noted the position of the sun. “What… time is it?”

Goro checked his phone, then swallowed. “It’s just after six o’clock. We were in there much longer than anticipated.”

“Oh, no.” Morgana’s ears drooped. “What’s going to happen with your foster parents?”

Yusuke didn’t miss the tremor in Goro’s hand as he put his phone away. “I’m sure I’ll be able to talk my way out of it,” Goro said. He offered Yusuke a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I can just say that orchestra was rehearsing for a concert and I forgot to tell them.”

“You really think that’ll cut it?” Morgana asked.

“There will be consequences, but I’m prepared to deal with them.” Goro cleared his throat. “More importantly, how are you feeling, Yusuke? Will you be able to monitor Madarame’s condition?”

“You can always move in with my sister and I earlier if you need to,” Makoto added. “I certainly wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to live here longer, and I could convince Sae to let you stay earlier.”

Yusuke shook his head. “Thank you for your generous offer, but I feel an obligation to see this through. I will keep you updated on any changes.”

“Please do.” Goro hesitated a moment, then clasped Yusuke’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you. This must have been an incredibly difficult month, but we seem to have made it through to the other side.”

“It would seem so,” Yusuke echoed, smiling softly. He rested his free hand over Goro’s and squeezed. “Thank you for everything, from the bottom of my heart.” He looked to Morgana, then Makoto. “I will repay your kindness to me, I promise.”

“I admit that I’m a bit hesitant to leave you here alone after today’s events, but you seem confident,” Makoto said, smiling back. “Please call if you need anything, even if it’s at a late hour. Your safety is most important.”

They stood there a few moments longer. Yusuke felt the need to say something else, but he had no idea how to express his gratitude. How could one even begin to thank the people who took so much time and effort to change his life?

He settled for another smile and bade his friends farewell for the night, then steeled himself before going inside. 

The house seemed colder and darker than the street outside, and Yusuke shivered. He hugged the Sayuri closer, scanning the house for Madarame. All the lights were off, and the door to his room was shut. Yusuke hid the Sayuri in his room, then knocked on Madarame’s bedroom door. 

“Sensei?” he called. It felt wrong to use that term, but Yusuke told himself it was just for a short while longer. “Are you well?”

Rustling. “I’m well, Yusuke,” Madarame replied. “Just retiring early for the night. You should get some rest, too.”

“Do let me know if you need anything,” Yusuke said. Madarame thanked him, and he headed back upstairs.

The rest of the evening seemed to slip away; Yusuke alternated between staring at the Sayuri and reflecting on the day’s events. After some time, the ringing in his ears grew nearly deafening. Had the house always been this quiet?

Yusuke turned on the radio to drown out the silence, then let the music fade to background noise as he continued his contemplation. The news caught his attention in spurts, listing names that had nothing to do with him. It was nice to feel like a small part of the world again.

The moon rose, and Yusuke wrapped the Sayuri back up. He checked on Madarame once more, but the older man seemed to be asleep. Yusuke let him alone and returned to his room, staring at the ceiling until he drifted off.

**May 28, 2014 (Wednesday)**

Another school day spent in thought, another afternoon of monitoring Madarame. Madarame ate briefly once he returned home, then immediately went to his room. Yusuke lost track of time, was pulled back by the ringing of the phone.

“Ichiryusai Madarame’s residence,” he answered automatically, and he’d be happy if he never had to say that again. “With whom am I speaking?”

“This is Makoto. How are things?”

“Well, I believe.” Yusuke glanced at Madarame’s shut door, then lowered his voice. “He has mostly been staying in his room and resting. He seems subdued and will not speak with me for any length of time.”

“Interesting.” Makoto paused, and the silence felt heavy. “There’s a bit of a complicated situation on my end. I don’t really know how to—”

A familiar voice interjected in the background, and Makoto sighed. “You’re already here,” she said. “Why not tell him yourself?”

“Hello, Yusuke?”

Yusuke breath hitched. “Goro? What’s going on?”

Goro laughed, sounding strained over the phone. “Nothing you should worry yourself over. You certainly have enough on your plate already. I’ll just be staying with the Nijima sisters for a few days.”

“What? Why?”

Pause. “After I arrived home late last night, I was kicked out. I—”

“What?” Yusuke repeated, this time in horror. “Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”

Another pause, then the sound of scuffling as the phone changed hands. “It seems like he spent the night on the street,” Makoto said. “Morgana came to me at Shujin after school—”

“—don’t tell him this, he shouldn’t concern himself with—”

“Quiet. Morgana found me at Shujin and led me to him, and now he’s here. Sae hasn’t come home yet, but I’m sure she’ll let him stay while matters get sorted out.”

Goro took the phone again. “This will be convenient for me, really. I’ve been compiling all the evidence we have against Madarame, and living with a prosecutor will give me a connection to the legal system. I can pass the evidence on to her and work with her from there.”

Yusuke stuttered for a moment. “What is the long-term plan? You won’t go back to the orphanage, will you?”

“We haven’t quite figured that out yet,” Goro said. “Perhaps Nijima will help us with a solution to that, as well.”

“I would certainly hope so,” Yusuke said, a familiar anger causing his fingers to tighten around the phone. “Foster parents who throw minors onto the street should face repercussions. This type of behavior is completely uncalled for and undeserved, especially directly after the endeavors of yesterday.” He grabbed a pencil and paper. “I’m coming over. Makoto, what is your address?”

“That really won’t be necessary, Yusuke, I’ll be fine—”

“I’m sorry,” Makoto interjected, “but I can’t overwhelm my older sister. She’s already so busy at work, and I don’t think she’ll take well to having two strangers in the house when she comes home.”

“Makoto, I am prepared to wander the streets until I can find your apartment and confirm that all three of you are safe and well. What is your address?”

A long pause. Makoto sighed again, then gave him the address and directions from Madarame’s house. Yusuke hung up without another word and headed out the door.

Makoto had estimated that the walk would take about forty-five minutes, but Yusuke made it in thirty. He climbed the stairs to the apartment and knocked on the appropriate door. Makoto opened it, her expression conflicted.

“My sister should be home in about an hour,” she said. “Will you be able to leave before then? I can introduce you two in a few days, once this mess settles down.”

“If my departure will increase the likelihood of her taking Goro and Morgana in, then of course I will make myself scarce.” Yusuke looked over her shoulder into the living room. “Where are they?”

Makoto stepped aside to let him in, and he took a few steps in to see Goro and Morgana sitting on the couch. Goro had his school bag on the cushion next to him and a larger bag at his feet.

“You didn’t have to come over, really,” Goro said. “Although I do appreciate that you’re here now.”

Yusuke sat next to him, draping an arm protectively over the couch behind him. “How are you?” he demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he took Goro’s chin in one hand and examined his face for marks. Finding none, he retracted his hand but stayed just as close. “Why did you sleep on the street? You know that I have space on my floor.”

“I assumed that you needed an evening alone to process what happened,” Goro stuttered. “I couldn’t intrude.”

“You have caused me far more emotional distress by endangering yourself. What did you do before you came here?”

“It was a bit of an adventure, really.” Goro was obviously trying not to worry him, but the bags under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. “I actually found Kyo yesterday, and we slept near each other as a form of security. I’m sure it could have been worse if I hadn’t found him, but he was in the same spot as always.” He forced a smile, not quite looking at Yusuke. “I was able to get some more information out of him, too, so the investigation benefited from this experience.”

“What about this morning? Were you just wandering the city with all your worldly possessions until Morgana forced you to get help?” Yusuke turned to Morgana, who had been unusually silent during this exchange. “And why didn’t you get help earlier?”

The fur on Morgana’s back bristled. “I didn’t know where Makoto lived, and Akechi refused to take the subway to your place! It’s not like I could find a phone that I could dial by myself, so I was stuck outside.” He burrowed further into the couch. “Don’t get mad at me; he’s the stubborn one. He said he’d done it before.”

Yusuke whirled on Goro again. “You’ve slept on the street before? When?”

“Only a few times,” Goro defended, “and quite a few years ago. Someone always brought me back to the orphanage.”

Yusuke tightened his arm around Goro’s shoulders, feeling the anger leave him. He brought his other arm around to fully embrace him, and Goro patted his hand. “I’m fine, really,” he insisted. He swallowed. “I went to school as normal, but Morgana slipped off at some point to get Makoto, and here we are in one piece.”

At some point, Makoto had seated herself across from the other three. “I do feel bad that you had to sleep on the street,” she murmured. “You could have called me, as well.”

“I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“You wouldn’t have been a bother, you idiot,” Morgana interjected, none of the usual playfulness in his voice. “They’re your friends. We all care about you.” He sniffed. “Don’t forget that I’m tied to your living situation, too. I refuse to sleep near all those smokers again.”

Yusuke held Goro for a few moments longer, then sat back, leaving his arm draped over the back of the couch. “Have you eaten? Showered?”

“Yes,” Goro said. He nodded to Makoto. “You’ve been a generous host, Makoto. You truly did not have to do this, especially after the way I’ve been treating you.”

Makoto shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not letting you sleep on the street.”

Goro lowered his gaze to his lap, gripping his knees. His hands shook slightly. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Of course.”

Goro allowed the silence to continue for a few moments, then swallowed. “How have you been, Yusuke?”

“Pensive,” Yusuke answered. “I am not quite sure how to feel yet. There is relief, of course, but we are not entirely free of Madarame yet.”

“I know. I’ll do my best to work on it, I promise.” Goro looked at Morgana. “How long should the change of heart take?”

“I don’t know,” Morgana huffed. “Less than a month, definitely, but I don’t have a clue besides that.”

“And what will happen? Do you have a more concrete idea?”

Morgana shrugged as best as he could. “He should feel and think differently. Maybe he’ll apologize to Yusuke and try to right his wrongs.” He tucked his chin between his front paws. “We’ll just have to wait and see at this point.”

They lapsed into another period of quiet, everyone deep in thought. The physical closeness between Yusuke and Goro was grounding; Yusuke could feel his shoulders rising and falling gently with his breaths, could almost hear the rush of air as he exhaled. He smelled of soap and detergent.

He was here. They were safe for now. Yusuke allowed his head to loll back and his eyes to close.

After some time, Makoto checked the time with a start. “Sae should be home in less than fifteen minutes. Yusuke, I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. You can come back tomorrow, and then I can properly introduce you two in a couple days.”

Yusuke sighed, prying his eyes open. Sitting like this was the most relaxed he had felt in days; he wished he could stay. He squeezed Goro closer to him for just a moment in one last hug, then stood. “Please take care of yourselves,” he said. He scratched the space between Morgana’s ears, eliciting a purr. “I will be back tomorrow as soon as I can.”

Morgana perked up a bit. “We should celebrate soon,” he suggested. “We all worked really well together, all things considered, and we accomplished our goal. That definitely deserves a night out!”

Yusuke smiled down at him. “I will keep you updated on Madarame’s condition. Perhaps we can do something after this change of heart takes effect.”

“We should go to a sushi bar,” Morgana said, “like one of those conveyor belt places they’re always advertising! They look so fun.”

Goro laughed. “I’m not sure if they would let you in.”

“Yeah, but they’ll let your bag in, no problem. You can just slip me some.”

Yusuke’s smile stayed in place as he turned to Makoto. “You have my deepest thanks for keeping Goro and Morgana safe, and for your help with Madarame. As a complete stranger, you were never under any obligation to assist us in any way, yet you have been an invaluable ally. I am truly glad you’re with us.”

Makoto smiled back. “Glad to be on board.”

Yusuke shot a last look back, then took his leave. At the apartment, he felt like he could have finally fallen into a peaceful sleep, but with each step he took closer to Madarame’s, he felt his anxiety mounting. He wouldn’t sleep well tonight, either.

**May 30, 2014 (Friday)**

Yusuke stood in the middle of the crosswalk, feeling numb as he watched Madarame sob on national news.

A tug at his sleeve prompted him along, and he followed, stepping onto the sidewalk just as the streetlight turned green. His eyes remained on the screen in the square, and he strained to listen. The broadcast ended shortly after Madarame’s breakdown, and the news anchor summarized the events.

Moments later, Goro’s cell phone rang. He had used the money from their Palace excursions to finally purchase a phone plan; the fact that he hadn’t used some of that money to stay in a hotel instead of sleeping on the street was frustrating to Yusuke. He watched Goro’s mouth as it moved, not processing much of anything.

How did he feel right now? Taking stock of his emotions, he did feel some grim satisfaction, some amount of schadenfreude upon seeing Madarame in such distress, but he was mostly still worried. The change of heart occurred earlier than they anticipated; where would Yusuke live now? Could he continue living in the shack for the night, or would the police lock it down for evidence? He still hadn’t met Makoto’s sister; would she let him stay at their apartment if Goro and Morgana were already there?

There were too many unknowns. It was enough to make Yusuke feel nauseated.

“Yusuke.”

He startled, vision snapping into focus and centering on Goro’s face. “Yes?”

“That was Nijima,” Goro said. “She wants me to report to the police headquarters with the evidence we’ve compiled. Would you like to come along?”

He nodded and walked between Makoto and Goro. The four of them—Morgana was in Goro’s bag as usual—had been on their way to discuss matters at the apartment, but that would have to wait. Goro had been working with Sae Nijima over the past couple days to compile their evidence against Madarame and find Goro a place to live, and their efforts had already produced fruit. All Yusuke had to do at this point was follow along. Though he hated feeling helpless, he could allow himself to follow his friends’ lead for some time. He could trust them.

They arrived at the station, and Makoto and Yusuke waited with Morgana as Goro went to meet with Sae. His friends had been checking in on his condition, but he still wasn’t sure how to respond when they asked how he was doing.

Makoto asked again after half an hour of waiting, and Yusuke decided he was tired.

**May 31, 2014 (Saturday)**

Goro had been called to the police station with Sae again, and Yusuke, Morgana, and Makoto waited for him in front of the building. Horizontal strips of sunlight cut across the city, and one of them warmed the top of Yusuke’s head with its glow. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, focusing on the feeling of warmth. He had been allowed to sleep in Madarame’s drafty house overnight, but he didn’t know how long that arrangement could stay in place.

His anxieties remained, but Yusuke had quickly grown to loathe the melancholy atmosphere that followed him in the days after their successful infiltration. He attempted to break the silence.

“Has your sister told you anything about what happened yesterday?”

“Not much,” Makoto replied. “She seemed determined, though, which could mean that they’re making good progress.” Yusuke opened his eyes to look at her encouraging smile. “You and Akechi did a great job of compiling the evidence, and a direct confession from the culprit is definitely a solid foundation for the case. It’s looking hopeful.”

“But why would they need Goro to come to the station two days in a row?” Yusuke asked. “That seems unusual. If the purpose of the meeting is to collect evidence, I would expect that they would want my testimony.”

“Would you be willing to give it?”

“Of course.” Yusuke set his jaw. “It would be difficult to separate what we learned in the Metaverse from what we learned in reality, but even the latter is incriminating enough, not to mention my first-hand experiences.” He paused to think. “Of course it would be exhausting, but certainly worthwhile if it builds our case.”

“You’re a very strong person, Yusuke.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. He settled for a nod.

They waited, idly watching passerby until Morgana spoke up. “I hope you all haven’t forgotten about the celebration we were planning,” he said. “I’ve been eating Akechi’s scraps for almost two months now! I deserve some proper food.”

Yusuke patted his head. “You do,” he echoed. “We’ll get to it once matters settle.”

Morgana pouted the best his cat face would allow him to, then ducked back into Goro’s bag when the door to the police station opened. Goro emerged alone and approached their bench, expression unreadable.

“What happened?” Morgana asked, popping his head back out.

Goro stared for a moment, then laughed. “They offered me a job.”

The other three rose to their feet at once, their questions overlapping. Goro raised his hands with another chuckle. “It’s just a junior detective position, which I didn’t really know existed. Of course there’s Naoto Shirogane, but the Shirogane family is a special case.” 

“Did you take it?” Morgana asked.

“I need a day or two to think it over. It should be a large responsibility, but the benefits are hard to turn down.”

“That’s amazing,” Yusuke breathed. “And what of the Madarame investigation?”

“It’s progressing quickly.” Goro flushed slightly. “They claimed to be impressed with the evidence that we compiled and presented, so that is certainly helping the progress, as well.”

Yusuke beamed. “Those efforts were mostly yours. You deserve the recognition.”

Goro’s flush deepened. “Thank you, but you all were an enormous help, as well. I’m hoping that we can get justice for all the pupils that Madarame slighted; now that the police have all their names, they should receive some compensation when Madarame is found guilty.”

Yusuke pulled him into a hug, and he heard Goro’s breath stutter next to his ear before he hugged back. “I’m proud of you,” Yusuke said.

“And I of you,” Goro whispered back.

They lingered a moment before Goro pulled away, and they waited for Sae to emerge in contemplative silence. 

**June 1, 2014 (Sunday)**

Ordinarily, Yusuke was loathe to sleep in, but, after the tumult of the past few months, he was finally able to fall into a deep sleep. He awoke just before noon to the sound of the phone ringing. He shuffled downstairs, then paused before picking up the receiver.

“Ichiryusai Madarame’s former residence. This is Yusuke Kitagawa speaking.”

“Yusuke,” Goro said, his voice breathless and breathtaking in its excitement, “I just agreed to the position today, and they gave me a signing bonus of sorts. My salary will be enough to rent one of the apartments Nijima found for me.” He paused to inhale, voice shaky. “I want you to come live with me.”

\---

That afternoon, in an office high above the city, another phone conversation took place.

“Yes, he’s signed on. We’re putting him under the supervision of Sae Nijima.”

…

“Yes, sir. We’ll be keeping an eye on him. We’re assuming that it’s only a coincidence at this point, but, as you said, it’s best to take precautions.”

…

“Of course. I’ll keep you updated.”

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s kind of hard to write a slow burn when I interpret Yusuke as being super physically affectionate with people he really cares about, but im def doing my best! These chapters were lots of fun to write – hope you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I think I'm going to switch to an every other week update schedule from now on! There are still quite a few buffer chapters left, but I haven't been working on new chapters and may not be able to put much time into this fic in the foreseeable future. I'll do the best I can, but I have many other priorities right now! I hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime, and thank you to everyone for your support and kind words so far :)

**June 1, 2014 (Sunday)**

Everything had been moving very quickly in the past week, culminating in Goro securing an apartment and moving into it on the same day. He had few possessions, so the move was easy on his end. Yusuke, on the other hand, had an assortment of completed paintings, art supplies, and rickety furniture to move, and Goro and Makoto spent a few hours helping him move it all and position it.

They decided to hang the Sayuri by the door to the single bedroom, just across from the apartment entrance. “She will welcome us home every day,” Yusuke had said, and Goro was happy to comply.

Goro was still suspicious of how easy this had been; it seemed the landlord was desperate to rent this apartment out, and Goro could perhaps see why. It was small and in a minor state of disrepair, but it was his. Theirs. He could come and go freely, act freely within his own space. The thought alone nearly buckled his knees; he had never had a space of his own before this. The time at home with his mother hardly counted, as he’d been so young.

By the late afternoon, everything was in the apartment and more or less in an appropriate place. Goro rested against the kitchen counter, and Morgana hopped up next to him. “That looked like a lot of work. Too bad I couldn’t help out.” He didn’t sound very apologetic at all.

“It wasn’t so bad,” Goro said. His eyes tracked Yusuke across the room; his new roommate was still getting his art supplies in order in the small living room. Makoto stood by, but, after realizing there was nothing more to do to help, she wandered over to their side of the room. Goro smiled at her. “Thank you for your help today, Makoto, and for allowing me to stay with you in the interim. Do you want me to pay you back?”

She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I’m happy to help, and it’s a relief to see you two finally in a more secure living situation.” She leaned next to him and Morgana, rubbing her eyes. “When do you start work?”

“Tomorrow.” Makoto dropped her hands from her face, eyes growing wide. Goro added, “There’s still work to be done with the Madarame investigation. I have to contact the witnesses and ask for them to testify in court. Considering that they are scattered all around the city with few permanent addresses, that should be time-consuming. Assuming I can find people to testify, I then have to help Nijima prepare the witnesses for a court date that has yet to be determined.”

Makoto looked across the room. “Will Yusuke testify?” she asked, lowering her voice.

“Only if he wishes to.” Goro watched him organize his brushes with a peaceful expression, shoulders relaxed forward. After everything they had just been through, it was refreshing to see him feeling safe and content. “He insists that he can, but I don’t want to cause him any added stress. There’s also the consideration that he’s a minor—all of Madarame’s former students are legal adults, but having a minor testify is a bit different. It may draw even more publicity, which could place a strain on him, especially if the news networks start asking him for interviews. It would be difficult for him to make his own name as an artist if he’s connected to such a large scandal.”

Makoto hummed in acknowledgement. “He did seem willing to do it, though. I understand that you two have been through a lot already, but you should let him do what will bring him closure.”

“Yeah,” Morgana piped in, “and Yusuke might be even more stubborn than you. He’s going to do what he wants anyway.”

Goro sighed. “You may be right, but I worry.”

“You two do seem close,” Makoto said, tone still low. “It’s hard to see someone you care about go through such trials.”

“It sounds like you speak from experience.”

Makoto hesitated, then nodded. “My father…” She paused, breathed in, continued. “My father died a few years ago, and as hard as it was for me, it’s been worse for Sae. She has to take care of me and deal with her stressful job all at once. I don’t think she had the proper amount of time to mourn.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” And her mother didn’t seem to be in the picture, either; Goro wouldn’t ask about that. It seemed that Makoto was a sort of orphan, as well. “And I’m sorry for asking you to share something so personal.”

Makoto shook her head again. “I know so much about you and Yusuke now. It’s only fair that you know a bit about me in exchange.”

And now he knew more about the elder Nijima, as well. He’d have to file that information for later. “Thank you,” he said.

“I didn’t know that about you, Makoto,” Morgana said. He rubbed his side against her shoulder, and she pet his back. “It’s good that your sister was there to help, though.”

“It is.” Makoto smiled down at him. “I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

Goro had a good idea—she probably would have had a similar experience to his own—but he kept that to himself.

Yusuke finished organizing the living room and stepped over to the pile of bedding. “Where should I put my futon?” he asked.

“Wherever you want,” Goro said, speaking at a regular volume now. “We can share the bedroom if you’re comfortable with that, or I can sleep out here.”

Yusuke shook his head. “You’re the one paying for the space, Goro. You should take the bedroom.” He gestured to his supplies with a sweep of his arm. “I’ve always slept near my paints in the event that inspiration strikes, and I find the smell calming. I will sleep out here.”

Goro nodded, suppressing a fond smile. “If that’s what you want, but we can always change the arrangement later.”

“We can,” Yusuke said, something dawning in his eyes. It didn’t seem like Yusuke had ever been prohibited from moving freely in Madarame’s house, but he had been a prisoner in other ways. Now he could produce his own work, present it as his own, and come home to someone who truly cared about him. Yusuke looked to his set of canvases with a soft smile, and Goro had to avert his eyes after a few moments. He could feel Makoto watching him.

“Can we eat soon?” Morgana whined, still cuddling into Makoto’s side. “I’m so hungry.”

“From all the work you did, I’m sure,” Makoto joked.

“I got all my stuff in order real fast!” Meaning he had bunched up the blanket on Goro’s futon the way he liked. “It’s not my fault I can’t help carry furniture.” He actually looked a bit downcast, and he flexed his claws against the counter. “When I’m a human again, I can help with all that stuff.”

Makoto gave his head a reassuring pat. “I know, Mona. I wasn’t being serious.”

Yusuke joined them in the kitchen area at Goro’s other side. “Was there talk of food?” he asked. “With all the excitement, I forgot to eat earlier.”

Goro looked to his left with some alarm. “You should have told me,” he said. “We could have taken a break.”

Yusuke shook his head. “It was more important to move in as quickly as possible. We still have school tomorrow, after all.”

Goro sighed, then reached behind Yusuke to grab the old landline phone. “We’ll order something now, then. I’m sure we’re all too tired to go out.” Another wave of emotion surged through him; he could have food delivered here anytime he or Yusuke wanted. He could order packages and receive mail without having their contents scrutinized first. Did all adults have this amount of freedom? How did they get used to how wonderful it was? “What do we want?” he asked aloud.

“Sushi!” Morgana left Makoto’s side to headbutt Goro’s arm. “Do they deliver it? I’ll go pick it up myself if they don’t.”

Goro laughed as Makoto looked up the number for the nearest establishment. They ordered a platter and settled on the living room floor to wait. With all of Yusuke’s things taking up the space, there wasn’t much room left for a table, even if they had one. Goro thought it gave the apartment a charmingly cozy feeling, but Morgana seemed a bit less content. He had to realize that anything was an upgrade from their previous living situations, though, because he hadn’t complained about it yet. 

Discussion turned to their next move as the Phantom Thieves, as Morgana had started calling them. “We might be able to progress through Mementos as a team if we make a name for ourselves,” he’d said, and public opinion was something that had always been important to Goro, so he could certainly understand that.

“Completing the infiltration of Kobayakawa’s Palace is an obvious next step,” Makoto said, “and I would like to get that done as soon as possible so the school has time to recover from the damage he’s done. I understand that you two need some time to adjust here, though, especially with this new job.”

“I want to repay your kindness,” Yusuke said. “I am ready for another infiltration whenever you have need of me.”

Goro nodded. “I may need a week or two to configure my new schedule and all the responsibilities, but I’ll be ready to go after that.”

“I’m ready, too!” Morgana said. “Anything to help our Queen.”

Makoto smiled. “Thank you all. A few weeks of down time will be fine; I should take a bit of a break, as well. I’m afraid that I’ve been neglecting my studies.”

They agreed to resume their investigation and spent the rest of the evening relaxing, enjoying their well-deserved celebration.

Goro turned sixteen tomorrow. He mentioned this at some point during dinner, and Morgana immediately turned on him. “Your birthday’s tomorrow and you didn’t tell anyone?” he yowled. “How am I supposed to learn about humans if I can’t go to a real birthday party?”

Makoto and Yusuke ended up leaving to buy a cake, and Morgana consumed the rest of the sushi platter while they were gone. By the time the other two returned, Morgana was nearly asleep, and Goro wasn’t faring much better. He offered a bashful smile as they walked through the door, bags in hand. “You really didn’t have to,” he said. “My birthday has never been much of a celebration. I don’t expect anything.”

“I would advise you to expect more for yourself.” Yusuke dropped his bag in front of Goro with a small thump, startling Morgana awake. Goro bit back another smile as he opened the bag and took the cake out. 

Makoto set her bag down more gently. “It’s more of a housewarming gift for all of you,” she said, “but I hope you find it useful.”

She’d given them a simple red teakettle. Goro thanked her and set it on stovetop, and then they ate. Morgana found some more room in his stomach to sample the cake, but the four of them barely ate half before they put it away. By that time, everyone was exhausted from the week’s events. Makoto left, wishing them well, and a contented silence fell over the apartment. The three of them still sat on the floor after cleaning.

“I cannot believe that this is real,” Yusuke murmured. “I thought your kindness had no limit, but this is truly beyond my comprehension.”

Goro leaned back, unsure how to process that. “It’s the least I could do for you,” he began, but Yusuke cut him off.

“It is absolutely not.” He leaned closer to Goro, bumping their shoulders together. “The least you could have done would be letting me alone after we met at that exhibit. You have put your entire life in upheaval in your efforts to help me and to bring Madarame to justice.” He spent an uncomfortably long time looking at Goro, and it was difficult to maintain eye contact. “You’re incredible,” he concluded. “I must make you something as a gesture of gratitude.”

With that, he pulled away and went to his canvas, sorting through his supplies without another word. Goro sat frozen for a moment, grateful that he was no longer under scrutiny but missing the warmth of their proximity. Being the target of Yusuke’s attention was an all-consuming experience.

Morgana stretched with a yawn. “You guys are weird,” he said, words distorted from the yawn. “I’m going to sleep.”

Despite his exhaustion, Goro sat there long after Morgana padded off to the bedroom, watching Yusuke work with his back to him. As the dark of night consumed the apartment, he could not bring himself to move to turn on another light or follow Morgana to sleep. He could only marvel at their current situation and at Yusuke’s focus, allowing waves of emotion to wash over him and tug his train of thought about.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, and he stumbled as he tried to stand, feet and legs numb. He took a moment to get his footing, then approached Yusuke. “Yusuke,” he said. No response. Goro laid a hand on his shoulder, and Yusuke put down his brush after a moment. “It’s late. Remember that we have school tomorrow.”

Yusuke only nodded and resumed his work. Goro gazed at him a moment longer, then went to his bedroom.

**June 15, 2014 (Sunday)**

Goro hardly had the time to spend in the new apartment, pulled between responsibilities regarding school and the Madarame investigation. When he was able to return home, Yusuke was often working on the painting or on his portfolio for his Kosei application. They hadn’t had many more opportunities to speak at length, but just his presence in the apartment was soothing. He was safe. They both were, for now.

They took the start of their day off to purchase a phone for Yusuke, and they let Makoto know that they were ready to meet at the apartment or elsewhere at any time during the afternoon. They decided to resume their investigation of Kobayakawa’s Palace and met in front of Shujin, then proceeded to the second floor. At some point during the week, Morgana had goaded him into making a couple more lockpicks and infiltration tools, and he used the lockpicks now to unlock the two remaining doors on this floor.

Behind the first door was a treasure chest, thankfully unlocked. Morgana and Yusuke flanked either side as Goro opened it, revealing a map. The team unfurled it across the floor to examine it.

“There seem to be five floors altogether,” Makoto observed, “so we’re a bit more than halfway done, I would estimate. What does the rest of the third floor look like?”

Goro flipped to the appropriate page and paused. “Serpentine,” he summarized. “It looks like there are very few actual rooms, and one seems to be the safe room that we already found just before encountering Kawakami.” He pointed to the spot where that fight had taken place, then traced a path to the stairs that led to the fourth floor. “It looks like there are no more rooms between there and the next floor, so we should be able to make quick progress there.” He flipped to the next page, and something in his stomach twisted at the image of the fourth floor. 

Morgana leaned closer. “Do you think some of it’s missing?”

“Maybe,” Goro said, “but the rest of the map seems accurate. If this is also accurate, then the fourth floor is just one hallway.”

“That’s suspicious,” Makoto said. “What about the fifth floor?”

He flipped another page. “Just one more hallway with five rooms on either side. One of those may be the office or cell we’re looking for.”

“And does the map give any clues about what’s behind the other locked door on this floor?” Morgana asked.

Goro flipped back, then shook his head. “We’ll just have to investigate for ourselves. We should be prepared for another fight.” He looked up at the team. “Should we deal with that door first, then discuss what to do about the fourth floor?”

They agreed and went back into the hall, map stored securely. Goro went to work on the next lock, then confirmed that everyone was ready before swinging it open. He tensed, fingers flexing over the hilt of his weapon, but nothing greeted them except a desk and several filing cabinets. The four of them spread out to examine the room. The filing cabinets were all unlocked and mostly empty, but Goro found a drawer in the desk with a single piece of paper. He looked it over while the others continued investigating, confusion mounting in his mind. He waited a few more minutes to ponder the contents of the paper and wait for everyone else to finish up, then debriefed with everyone in the middle of the room.

Makoto gestured to the cabinet closest to the door. “All the papers I found in there were… disturbing.” She held up a file in her other hand, then placed it on the table to reveal its contents. “The files are full of papers with just a few words on each one, like reminders. Some of the pages are blank, and all the handwriting is almost too shaky for me to read.”

Goro flipped through the papers in the file, catching the bits of Kobayakawa’s subconscious stored in this room. “These all seem to be work-related,” he said. “Schedules, reminders, bits of speeches. Is there anything else?”

Makoto produced another file and set it next to Goro’s hand. “This one is mostly acronyms, so I couldn’t figure it out.”

They all looked through it together. The papers were a jumbled mess of initials and codes that no one could decode, but the letters “SIU” stood out to Goro. He pointed to one piece of paper that used the acronym several times. “This could be short for the Special Investigations Unit,” he said. “That’s the organization connected to the police, and it handles cases that need more attention. Nijima mentioned working with their representatives on several occasions.”

Makoto leaned closer, brow furrowed. “Why would Kobayakawa be connected to the SIU? He’s only a principal—I can’t imagine he’s done anything to attract their attention.”

Goro stared at the paper, still confused. “I’ve no idea. From what we’ve seen here, the only thing he seems guilty of is neglect, which is not a crime in this case.” He looked up from the desk. “Fox, Mona, did you find anything else?”

Yusuke held an armful of files and dumped them onto the free space of the desk, leaving Morgana with little room to stand at eye level with the rest of them. “These are similar to the papers Queen mentioned. I’ve selected a wide array of samples so we may look for patterns.”

Morgana pushed them away a little with his foot. “If they’re all similar, then maybe we shouldn’t spend so much time looking through them. If we find Kobayakawa’s Shadow, we can just ask him directly; he’s enough of a coward that I think we could get some answers from him.” He punched one paw into the other to punctuate his point. “I didn’t really find anything worth noting, myself.”

Goro placed the paper he found on top of a file. “This was the only paper in the desk,” he said. “Its contents also mention the SIU, along with several acronyms that appear to be initials.”

The paper read this:

_SIU — HT funding sources? connections to TY? MS?  
1, phone call 2/15/14  
2, encounter w MM 2/19/14  
3, phone call 3/11/14  
4, transaction 3/25/14_

Morgana sighed. “We could spend all day trying to figure out what this is supposed to mean. Why don’t we just find the Shadow and ask him?”

“There’s no guarantee he’ll tell us,” Goro said, “and it’s worth looking at this now to anticipate what we may find ahead. Queen, Fox, do these acronyms come up in other files?”

They searched for a few minutes, setting aside papers that seemed relevant. Goro looked them over and pieced them together, stopping himself from drawing any abrupt conclusions. He spread the papers out in the order that mentioned the events on the numbered list. The words that weren’t acronyms mentioned bribes and favors. “He appears to be compiling mental notes on corruption within the SIU. The acronyms appear to be initials, or perhaps the names of other organizations. It would be almost impossible to guess what they mean, but, if he’s gathering so much information, one of these organizations may have helped him secure his job as a principal.”

Makoto looked over the papers, eyes narrow behind her mask. “And now he’s doubting his connection to them because they could be more corrupt than he thought,” she continued. “All the dates on the paper that Crow found are recent, so those specific instances may have resulted in the creation of this Palace.”

“Fascinating,” Yusuke said. “He failed to understand the full nature of the beast before it was too late, and he’s scrambling now to make up for his errors.”

“If we find out what all these initials stand for, we could have the beginning of a wider investigation on our hands.” Goro’s chest felt tight, charged with an electric energy that excited and overwhelmed him. “Will compiling all of these papers into one file change the way Kobayakawa thinks about this situation?”

“I’m not sure,” Morgana said. “I’m sure there’s some kind of organization going on here, but it doesn’t make that much sense to me. I don’t see the harm in keeping all these papers in one place so we can come back to them later, if that’s what you really want.” He tapped a paw to his head. “Just remember that the Palace will collapse once we steal the Treasure, so you’ll have to store all this information somehow before then.”

“Of course.” Goro gathered the papers into one filing folder, then put them in the desk. “We can ponder that later. For now, we should find a route to Kobayakawa and the Treasure.”

He had a feeling about the initials MS, but that could just be a coincidence. He certainly wasn’t going to say anything about that.

They headed to the stairs that led to the third floor, avoiding most of the Shadows they saw on the way to conserve energy. They passed the spot where they had fought Kawakami and proceeded upwards, slowing at the top of the stairs. Morgana went first, then stopped the rest of the team just before they could see the next floor. “Looks bad,” he whispered. He took a tense moment to examine what he saw, then ordered the team to fall back. They went all the way back to the safe room before Morgana would say anything.

“It looked like the fourth floor really was just one hallway,” Morgana said, “and it was full of people waiting in a line to the next set of stairs.”

“What kind of people?” Makoto asked.

“It looked like more teachers, but there were also some people in suits that looked out of place.” He shook his head. “I looked for a way around them, but I didn’t see any. There’s no way we could fight all those cognitions, so we’ve gotta find another route to the fifth floor.”

“Should we look for a route outside?” Makoto suggested. “I didn’t see anything of note when we explored the rec yard, but it could be worth another look. There may also be air vents that we can use inside of the building.”

“I don’t know how we could get up an air vent to another floor, though,” Morgana said. “Looking outside is a good idea. Maybe we can have Crow fashion a grappling hook someday this week.”

“I very much doubt that I’m mechanically minded enough to pull that off.”

Morgana waved a paw in dismissal. “I bet you could do it. You’ve been getting really good at making other infiltration tools.”

Goro brightened at the praise but said, “A lockpick and a complex mechanical device are very different. I would get myself killed trying to use whatever contraption I managed to make.”

“Okay, dummy.” Morgana hopped down from the table and gave Goro an affectionate slap on the leg. “Let’s just check it out first; we might not even need anything like that if we can find an easier way.”

They warped back to the first safe room, then headed outside. They avoided the guards as they examined the front of the building for any way upwards. Finding none, they returned to the safe room.

“I’m not actually gonna have you make a grappling hook,” Morgana said. “That’d just be ridiculous. I have a better plan.”

“Out with it, then,” Yusuke said.

Morgana hopped onto the table and clapped his paws together. “The cognitions that we’ve met here aren’t totally hostile; they’ll usually let us talk to them a little first before they try to fight us. What if one of us just went up to one of the people waiting in line and ask them for more information?” At the team’s reluctance, he added, “We could get more information on what they’re waiting more and maybe even where Kobayakawa’s office is. I’d assume that the Treasure is in there.”

“If Kobayakawa and his Treasure are locked away in the same room,” Makoto said, “then we’ll definitely need to be ready for a fight once we confront him. There seems to be no chance of completing the operation with stealth alone.”

“Once we get the information, how should we get past the line of people?” Goro asked. “Fighting them all would be impractical, as you said.”

Morgana grinned. “I’ve got an idea for that. Let’s just collect the information we need first, and then we’ll decide where to go from there.”

Makoto volunteered to gather information from the cognitions, and the other three watched from the staircase as she took her place at the back of the line.

“Excuse me,” she said to the person in front of her. They turned, brandishing a club in their hand, and Goro braced himself to intervene if necessary. “What are you meeting with the principal for?”

“Who wants to know?”

“I’m a member of the student council,” Makoto said, “and I’m interested in learning more about the kind of people our principal networks with.” Despite the obvious threat, her voice hardly shook at all as she spoke. Goro was impressed.

The figure paused, then laughed loudly enough to attract attention from several others in the line. He gestured to his tailored suit. “Just a businessman passing through. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“What kind of business?”

“Classified.” He smacked the club into his hand. “Any other questions?”

“Queen, get out of there,” Morgana whispered, so tense he was shaking in his spot next to Goro.

“Yes, actually,” Makoto continued. “How did you meet Principal Kobayakawa?”

The cognition laughed again, quieter this time. “We have a business partner in common. I’m just here to check up on how things are doing.” He gestured to the line behind him with the club. “Boring meetings like this are standard in the adult world, kid. It’s nothing to get excited about.” He scratched his head with his free hand. “I’m getting tired of waiting, though. Bet I could plow through the rest of these guys and make it to him. He’s got a way of weaseling out of his commitments, and we’re all getting sick of it. This line hasn’t moved in… I don’t know how long.”

Makoto cocked her head to one side. “What’s stopping you?”

“What, from forcing my way to his office?” He barked another laugh. “It’s best not to cause a scene when you don’t have to. This is really shameful, though, seriously.” He tapped the club against his shoulder now. “All these people are lined up all the way to the end of the next floor, and he won’t meet with any of ‘em. That’s just bad business.”

“A school is not a business.” Makoto set her shoulders into a hard line. “That aside, his office is all the way at the end of the fifth floor? Which door?”

“Shouldn’t you know that, little Miss Student Council?” He pointed the club at her. “You’re lucky I don’t bash you for that last comment. We’re done talking here.”

They stood glaring at each other, and Morgana shook harder next to Goro. “Get out of there,” he repeated.

“I don’t think we are done,” Makoto said, “until you tell me which door his office is behind.”

He raised the club, and Makoto moved to knock it out of his hand. Goro swore under his breath, then ripped the top off one of the smoke bombs Morgana had him make a few days ago. He chucked it across the room, hitting the man in the head and deploying the smoke. The rest of the hallway disappeared along with Makoto, but she stumbled out of the cloud a few moments later, coughing.

“I had that under control,” she protested after catching her breath. “You didn’t have to butt in.”

“He was about to smash your head in!” Morgana jumped behind Makoto and pushed her toward the stairs. “We need to get back to the safe room now!”

They ran back, slamming the door behind them to drown out the sounds of commotion on the next floor. Makoto coughed a bit more and looked ready to argue, but Morgana spoke first. “You guys need to stop scaring me like this,” he said, placing one paw over his chest and the other near his head in a pseudo-swoon. “I’m going to have a heart attack trying to keep you all alive and safe! Just use your heads for once.”

“I was just trying to get the most information out of him I could,” Makoto protested. “It’s not my fault he was so uncooperative.”

“There are far unkinder words I could use,” Yusuke muttered, but Morgana cut him off again.

“You found out where the office is, in any case. It’s gotta be one of those two doors at the end of the fifth floor, and we’ve got a lot of cognitions we have to get past before we can even get to the Treasure.” He clapped his paws together. “That’s where my plan comes in! Crow, you’re ahead of me with the smoke bombs.”

Goro could see where this was going, and he didn’t know if he liked it. “What do you mean?”

“We can’t find a way to sneak past them, and we can’t waste energy fighting them all before we get to Kobayakawa, right?” The other three nodded tentatively. “What if we could make a distraction and blow through all of them without having to fight?”

“With smoke bombs?” Goro asked. “That would only give us one chance to make it into Kobayakawa’s office, and we’re not completely sure that his Treasure will be there.”

“But we’ve searched everywhere else so far,” Morgana replied. “It’s gotta be on the fifth floor, I can feel it. And doesn’t it make sense for him to lock himself in with his Treasure? I’m sure that they’re in the same room.”

“We can’t make a gamble like this based on one of your feelings,” Goro said. “You said that we only have one chance with the calling card, correct? What if we’re wrong?”

The fur on Morgana’s shoulders bristled. “I’m not wrong, and my feelings have led us this far, haven’t they? They’ve gotta be in that office at the end of the hall.”

“I agree with Mona,” Makoto said. “He might not be meeting with anyone in that line because he’s guarding his Treasure and shirking his other responsibilities, which certainly corresponds to what he’s doing in the real world.”

“So you propose that we make enough smoke bombs to get through all those cognitions,” Yusuke said, “and then break into his office to fight him and steal the Treasure.”

“Exactly.” Morgana shifted from side to a side bit as he admitted, “It’s not the most elegant plan, but we don’t really have another option. Luring him out of his office didn’t work, so we’ll just have to bust in.”

Yusuke paused, resting his chin in his hand as he thought. “I shall give my approval, as well, though I agree with Queen that your thinking lacks elegance,” he said eventually.

Morgana hopped up and cheered. “That’s three against one, Crow. You’ve gotta see it my way; this is the only option.”

Goro sighed. “I don’t have time to make that many smoke bombs and lockpicks,” he said. “The week ahead is going to be extremely busy, as we’re still working on Madarame’s case.”

“I can help,” Yusuke said. “My portfolio is coming along nicely, and my latest painting is nearly done.” Goro almost let that last statement distract him; how did Yusuke’s gift to him look? Yusuke hadn’t allowed him to see its progress.

“I could also help after school,” Makoto added. “How many do you think we’ll need?”

Morgana thought for a moment. “I think we should make ten lockpicks, just in case we need to open all the doors upstairs, and maybe six or seven bombs.”

Goro sputtered for a moment. “It takes me the better part of the evening to make just one pick, and the others have no experience. How do you expect us to make ten?”

“We’re not on a time limit, right?” Morgana asked. “Sure, we want Kobayakawa to have a change of heart as soon as possible, but we don’t need to rush and make shoddy infiltration materials. As soon as you get those things together and we come up with a calling card, we should strike.” He sat on the edge of the table, swinging his little legs back and forth. “Does a week seem fair?”

“Hardly,” Goro protested. “Even two weeks would be less than reasonable, but still doable.”

“Two weeks, then! We’ll shoot for that.”

Goro sighed. “Let’s go compile the materials from the second floor office, then. I may have time to look into all of this once things have calmed down.”

They went down another floor to copy the relevant materials, then left the Palace for the day after a short round of training. This was the first infiltration Yusuke and Goro had done since securing the apartment, and it was a pleasant change of pace for them to travel home together. They sat side by side on the subway, Morgana in the bag between them, and chatted about lighter topics until they retired for the night.

**June 24, 2014 (Tuesday)**

The date of their infiltration was approaching fast, and Madarame’s court date was set for the end of July. Goro had only gotten himself through two days of this week, and he was already on the verge of burnout. Exams were coming up in a few weeks, too, but at this point he had nearly forgotten he was a student.

He sat at one of the stools by their kitchen counter, cradling his head in his hands. It was nearly 7:00, and Yusuke wasn’t home yet.

“He didn’t text you or anything?” Morgana asked after the silence stretched on too long. Goro shook his head. “I’m sure he’s fine. Probably just got distracted by something or forgot his subway fare.”

“He should have let me know if that was the case.”

They hadn’t eaten yet, and the upset sounds of their stomachs occasionally disrupted the quiet of the apartment. Morgana padded to the edge of the counter, looking at the fridge. “I can’t feed myself,” he said. “Quit sulking and help me open the fridge! Yusuke will be fine.”

Goro closed his eyes for a moment of rest, then stood and got Morgana his food. As he mechanically prepared his own plate, he startled at the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Yusuke walked through the front door, holding something massive and rectangular beneath his arm. He smiled in greeting and held up the object, which was covered by a thin sheet of fabric.

“It is done,” he said.

Goro breathed for a moment, forcing his imagination to calm down. Yusuke was right there. He hadn’t been kidnapped or run over or killed. It was fine. “What is done?” he asked.

“Your gift.” Yusuke crossed the small room and set the object next to the wall. “I wanted to get it done before the end of the month, and I finally finished last night. I was out all afternoon looking for the perfect frame.”

Goro rested a hand on his chest and exhaled. “That’s where you were,” he rationalized. “Please let me know the next time you’ll be home late. I was worried.”

“He was starving me over nothing!” Morgana complained.

Yusuke didn’t seem to be paying attention, hands poised over the covering. “Are you ready to see it?”

Goro bit back a wave of irritation and said, “Yes.”

As Yusuke revealed the canvas and Goro looked it over, he forgot his earlier worries. He had seen firsthand the amount of work that Yusuke put into this painting, and the artist’s earnest nature showed in the final product. The canvas was filled with painstakingly detailed black feathers, streaked over with small white-gray lines. The feathers swirled around the top right quadrant of the canvas, forming a circle the same shade of white-grey. The lines emanating from the circle looked like veins that extended throughout the painting.

Goro stepped closer to admire the details. “This is beautiful,” he breathed. “What do you call it?”

“The Fox and The Crow.” Yusuke pointed to the quadrant, then placed that hand over his heart. “It is symbolic of the way you encircle my heart and my life.”

He was speechless. Was this a confession of something? It couldn’t be. Yusuke was merely more straightforward and expressive about his feelings than most people. This was a touching expression of a deep friendship that had flourished despite a decade of separation, and, in his exhaustion, it was almost enough to drive Goro to tears.

He swallowed and looked at Yusuke. “I want you to know that I’ve never received such a thoughtful gift,” he said. “Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”

Yusuke beamed at him, and Goro had to look away to compose himself. He avoided Morgana’s gaze, though the cat still seemed to be looking at Yusuke and the painting.

“Where shall we put it?” Yusuke asked.

Goro swiped across his eyes with the back of his hand and looked to the walls. “You’re the one with an eye for aesthetics. What do you think?”

Yusuke turned a slow three hundred sixty degrees, pupils dilated in focus against the dim lighting. He was silent for some time longer, looking between the Sayuri by the bedroom door and a spot on the adjacent wall. He eventually picked up the canvas and positioned it in that spot, so the two paintings looked like neighbors greeting each other. “Is it too bold of me to position my own art so closely to my mother’s?” he asked aloud. “Perhaps your bedroom would be a better spot.”

Goro didn’t answer, allowing him more time to think. Eventually, Yusuke sighed, shoulders slumping as he held the painting closer to him. “None of my work will ever be worth hanging in the same room as the Sayuri,” he decided.

“Isn’t that what inspired you to paint the whole time you were with Madarame, though?” Morgana asked, pushing his empty plate aside. “I think it’s a good idea to have it in the room for inspiration.”

“Do you think your mother would have wanted you to compare yourself to her in this way?” Goro asked softly.

Yusuke turned to the other wall to examine the Sayuri, gaze lingering on the baby in her arms. “I cannot know for sure,” he said, “but what little I’ve seen of her work tells me that she would not. That will not stop my own doubts, though.” He held his own painting farther from his body to re-examine it. “Someday, I may be able to make something worthy, but that day may not come for quite a while.”

He fell silent for another period of time, then nodded. “Your bedroom is rather drab. This would look nice there.”

Morgana laughed, and Goro smiled. “Why don’t we pick a spot, then?”

He followed Yusuke to his own room, which was, admittedly, rather barren. It wasn’t like Goro was about to waste money on decorations and trinkets he didn’t need, but Yusuke’s gift would be a welcome addition.

He almost didn’t feel worthy of being in the same room as the painting, of being the recipient of this gift, but, unlike Yusuke, he kept such thoughts to himself.

Yusuke chose a spot on the wall near the window, then stepped back to examine it. He nodded again. “That will do for now, but I will have to make more for you to hang elsewhere. The atmosphere in here is stifling.”

Morgana laughed again and headbutted Goro’s leg. “I’ve been saying that for weeks! At least get some mood lighting or something.”

“I have other things to attend to.” Goro’s stomach twisted as he remembered all his responsibilities, but he pushed that aside the best he could. “Have you eaten yet, Yusuke?”

Yusuke looked surprised, presumably as he realized that he hadn’t eaten in quite a while. “I have not,” he confirmed.

They headed back to the kitchen, and Goro washed his and Morgana’s dishes as Yusuke ate. He sat on the stool next to Yusuke’s after he finished and cleared his throat. “I don’t know if you were listening to me earlier, but I was worried when you came home late tonight and didn’t let me know where you were. Could you please tell me the next time you’ll be home late?”

Yusuke looked up from his plate, eyes wide. “Of course, Goro. I never meant to worry you; it was difficult to find the right frame, and it merely took longer than I anticipated.”

Goro exhaled, trying to allow more tension to leave his body. “I understand. I can get wrapped up in work, too, and I may have some late nights ahead with preparations for the trial well underway.”

Yusuke rested his utensils on the counter, turning his shoulders toward Goro. “How is that proceeding? I have been working on writing my own testimony, but it is difficult to separate what Madarame’s Shadow told us and what Madarame himself did over the years.” He rubbed his temple, brows furrowed. “I know that it will not be a trial for the murder of my mother, but I want the world to truly know what a despicable man he is. He only confessed publicly to forgery, and we have no way of knowing if he will fess up to his compliance in my mother’s death.”

“That’s all true,” Goro said, “but I believe he will. He doesn’t seem to have any fight left in him.”

“Have you… seen him? Since his arrest?”

Goro shook his head. “Nijima has been interviewing him for the necessary information, and his defense lawyer has been involved, but I haven’t spoken with him.”

“Good. Will you be handling the trial directly?”

“Nijima will do most of the work; I may be required to testify briefly regarding my investigation, but, as it’s my first case, Nijima will cover most of the court proceedings for me.”

Yusuke shook his head, mouth twitching upward. “I still cannot believe you’ve taken this job. It’s certainly admirable, but you seem exhausted.”

“Things are hectic,” Goro admitted, “but they should settle soon. By the end of July, all this should be over.”

“And then you guys can finally help me recover my memories!” Morgana interjected. “Maybe we can find some more targets as the Phantom Thieves, too.”

“Perhaps,” Goro said. “Let’s focus on the tasks at hand for now.”

Yusuke cleaned his plate and took his spot next to Goro. “I’ve never told you about my life with Madarame in any detail. Would it help you now to know? It may help me practice my testimony, as well.”

“If you’re willing to share,” Goro said.

Yusuke nodded. “To begin, I can hardly remember the business with the letters now, but, when I asked if you had written all those years ago, I remember him saying to me that I had no time to waste on friendships and that I should sacrifice everything for my art.”

Goro balled his hands on top of the counter.

“He repeated this lesson throughout the years,” Yusuke continued, “and I eventually became so focused on painting that I would start skipping meals. He would praise me when I did this, claiming that I should prioritize my higher calling above earthly needs. I lived for his praise and took his words to heart, sacrificing my physical health to spend more time painting. The first exhibition with my art shown occurred when I was about twelve years old, and it was devastating to see my works credited to Madarame.” He, too, clenched his hands as he spoke. “I had no one else to talk to about my frustrations. I had tried bringing acquaintances from my classes home when I was very young, but he always seemed to disapprove. A barrier in communication grew between me and my peers, and I found myself friendless, throwing myself more deeply into my art.” 

“That’s awful, Yusuke,” Goro murmured. “I’m sorry to hear all this.”

“Was the art truly mine?” Yusuke wondered aloud, as if Goro hadn’t spoken. “I was making it to please Madarame and draw public praise. How much of what I produced was a representation of myself? How much was what I thought Madarame wanted to see?”

They fell silent as Yusuke pondered these questions, retreating into himself. Goro gave him some time, then said, “I would definitely keep the fact that he isolated you in your testimony, along with the fact that he essentially encouraged you to starve yourself. That’s barbaric.”

“And you think he will agree with whatever I say in court,” Yusuke checked.

Goro nodded. “Nijima claims that he’s been extremely compliant so far. That doesn’t indicate how he’ll behave in court, but, if the change of heart is permanent, he should be forthcoming with all the incriminating information.”

“It should be permanent,” Morgana said, “unless he got a new Treasure during the time he was in prison. I really doubt that.”

Goro hesitated, then placed his gloved hand over Yusuke’s to comfort him. “It’ll be okay. You have plenty of time to keep preparing the testimony, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to. The trial should go smoothly either way.”

“I will testify,” Yusuke declared. “I must.” His voice softened as he looked to Goro’s hand over his. “But if you’re so confident that it will go well, I should have nothing to fear.”

Goro smiled at him. “That’s right.” He didn’t feel especially confident in his own abilities or his public persona, but he had every confidence that the trial itself would end with Madarame’s conviction.

“I’ve hardly asked you anything about your experiences after Madarame adopted me,” Yusuke said. Goro fought to keep his hand from tensing. “If you’re comfortable sharing, I would like to know. I feel that there’s still much I don’t know about you.”

Goro breathed in, out. “I spent about half a year at the group home after you left. The days mostly blended together, so I don’t remember many specifics now.” He wouldn’t talk about the way he wrote Yusuke’s name over and over to practice his characters. That was beyond pathetic. “I went through about six foster families over the past decade or so. The most recent one was my seventh, and by far the worst.” Yusuke looked at him with concern. “Many families were neglectful and adopted me as a sort of pawn for political or social reasons. Adopting an unwanted child makes the foster parents seem generous, but the reality was that they didn’t truly care about me.” He took another breath. “I still can’t understand why this last couple took me in. They confined me to my room and made me keep a strict schedule, as you know. I was to come home immediately after school and go to my room, only emerging for meals. I was not allowed to take food as I wished or use the common spaces, though they rarely had guests.”

“I was only there for a little bit of it,” Morgana added, “and it sucked.”

Goro smiled bitterly. “It certainly did. Returning home late after we stole Madarame’s Treasure was the last straw, and they threw me out. I was lucky that they gave me time to gather my belongings.”

“Did you have friends?” Yusuke asked, now placing his hand atop Goro’s.

“I changed school districts several times, so I didn’t have many opportunities to connect with any classmates.” His smile softened as he looked to Yusuke. “You were my first friend, and my last until I met Morgana.”

Morgana, sitting on the countertop, puffed his chest out. “That’s right! And now I can’t let this guy out of my sight.”

Yusuke looked to Morgana, eyes alight with mischief. “I cannot recall ever hearing how you two met in detail,” he said.

“Oh, well, that part’s not so important—”

“I’d love to tell you,” Goro interrupted.

“Don’t believe anything he says! He’s just trying to make me look bad!”

They talked into the night, sharing stories and memories. Goro lost track of the hours again listening to Yusuke, trying to think of things to say to pique his interest. Just a few weeks ago, being the sole target of Yusuke’s focus had been intimidating, but now he found it intoxicating. Yusuke was so attentive and focused, maintaining eye contact no matter how long Goro spoke, leaning in closer without realizing it, never hesitating to ask questions. It made Goro feel like he really mattered to someone, and that feeling could make him forget time itself.

Eventually, Morgana stretched and urged them both to get some rest; it was the middle of the week, after all, and they both had further responsibilities to attend to. Goro had made a few infiltration tools earlier in the afternoon—anything to keep his mind from various nightmare scenarios that involved harm coming to Yusuke or Morgana—but there were still more lockpicks and smoke bombs to make before Saturday’s infiltration, as well as a calling card for Yusuke or Makoto to work on. Yusuke was rushing to finish his portfolio application to Kosei, which was due in a few short weeks; the fact that he had set time aside to finish his gift to Goro was especially touching.

Morgana headed to the bedroom first, leaving the other two alone. Yusuke spoke further with Goro as he set up his bedding. “Thank you for sharing more of yourself with me tonight,” he said. “Let me know if the questions I ask are ever too personal; you are so interesting to listen to that I forget to filter my words.”

Goro was glad Yusuke’s back was turned, as he was having trouble holding back an embarrassingly fond smile. “Thank you for sharing with me, as well. Get some rest.”

They bade each other good night and retired to their separate spaces. Goro turned over Yusuke’s words in his mind again and again as he tried to relax, but he eventually found himself drifting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke’s still out here makin it real hard to write this slow burn, the boy is too sincere! He will not tone it down!
> 
> Please also let me know if you spot any errors, I'm losing confidence in my solo editing skills a lil bit


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jk y'all there is no update schedule! going thru an especially hard time rn obv, I'll update when I can and I hope that soon I'll have some time to plan the rest of the story/write some new chapters! it would make my day if you could recommend this story to someone who you think would like it :)

**June 28, 2014 (Saturday)**

Infiltration day. Makoto had posted her calling card around Shujin, and the Palace’s warning lights flashed as the team approached. They went directly to the safe room on the third floor and gathered their supplies.

“Who wants to run in front and deploy the bombs?” Morgana asked as Goro laid out the smoke bombs. 

“I’ll do it,” Makoto said immediately. Goro showed her how to activate them, and she gathered them all under one arm.

“Crow, you should be right behind Queen and ready to pick the lock when we get to the end of the hall,” Morgana said. “We still don’t know which door is Kobayakawa’s, but I bet we’ll be able to figure it out once we get there; it’s where the line should start. Get the door open as fast as possible. We won’t have much time, and then we’ll have to lock the door again behind us.” He looked to each member of the team as he spoke. “We have to stay close together as the bombs are going off so we don’t lose each other. Fox, you’ll bring up the back, and I’ll be on your shoulders.”

“I did not agree to carry you.”

“He’s not very heavy,” Goro said, “and it’s best for him to stay as close as possible. If he loses us, he could get trampled.”

Morgana huffed before continuing. “The Treasure is in the office with Kobayakawa, I’m sure of it. We just need to get in, find it, and get out of there. Once the Palace starts collapsing, the cognitions should either disappear or run away, so we’ll have a more clear escape route.”

The entire nature of this plan gave Goro chills, but, in the past two weeks, he had not been able to think of another way. They would have to execute it perfectly or lose their only chance at reforming Kobayakawa, a potential source of information regarding the SIU and related organizations.

Goro gathered all the lockpicks together and held onto them. “Ready,” he said.

Makoto secured her grip on the smoke bombs with a nod, and Morgana hopped onto Yusuke’s shoulders. “Let’s do it!”

They exited, sneaking past the guards on the third floor and arriving at the mouth of the stairway up. Makoto held up her free hand, fingers spread wide, and lowered them one by one in a countdown.

They charged up the stairs as her hand curled into a fist, and the first bomb deployed with a bang. Goro’s hand tightened around Makoto’s scarf, and Yusuke held his other arm as they sprinted through the hall. The cognitions waiting in line began coughing, yelling, stumbling about, and the Thieves had to weave through several people before they made it even halfway down the hall. Makoto threw the next bomb, sending another thick cloud of smoke down the hallway. 

They made it to the stairs to the fifth floor and went up, Makoto throwing a third bomb at the top of the stairs. They continued their charge until they burst out of the smoke at the end of the hall. Goro looked, eyes wide, pulse pounding, to see where the line originated, but the cognitions were swarming around the hall in disorder. He grit his teeth as Makoto set off another bomb ahead, then followed her to the last door on the left.

His hands shook as he produced the first lockpick, but he steadied them by the time he jammed the tool into the keyhole. He worked as quickly as he could and threw open the door, but he was greeted with an unfamiliar face.

The cognition wearing a suit opened its mouth, and Goro yelled, “Queen! Bomb!”

He stumbled back as another smoke bomb sailed through the door, slamming the door as it went off on the other side. He heard the man inside swear and checked the plaque beside the door: “MM.” Were the people from Kobayakawa’s documents locked in all these confinement units?

Before he had time to process that, Yusuke and Morgana guided him to the door across the hall. “This one’s gotta be it,” Morgana yelled over the din. “Everyone get ready!”

They banded together as Goro picked the lock, and Makoto kicked the door open. To Goro’s immense relief, Kobayakawa’s Shadow was inside, back to them. He yelped and turned, shielding a glowing object behind his body. 

Yusuke entered last, slamming the door behind him and relocking it. The chaos outside quieted until it was just the five of them.

“Hand over the Treasure, Kobayakawa, and we won’t have to fight,” Makoto said. Her voice remained steady and compelling, even after all they’d just done to get to this room. Goro grew to admire her more every day.

Kobayakawa’s Shadow backed up a step, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t have been able to come here,” he stuttered. Hearing his voice after Makoto’s was a stark contrast. “This is my sanctuary. No one is allowed in.”

“We’re here now,” Makoto said. She softened almost imperceptibly. “Solitary confinement is not sanctuary. You have to face your responsibilities, and we’re going to make you if you don’t cooperate.”

“I never wanted those responsibilities,” Kobayakawa insisted. “They shouldn’t be mine.”

“Then quit, and let someone more competent take over.”

He shook his head rapidly. “I can’t. My debt is too great.”

“What debt?” Goro demanded. “Have you been working with the SIU?”

The Shadow turned on him, eyes wide with panic. “You can’t know about that.” He looked over the other three, trembling. “You all know?”

They nodded. “Just hand over the Treasure,” Makoto said, “and we can talk this out.”

“No!”

A shockwave knocked them back as the Shadow yelled; Yusuke’s back crashed into the door, and Goro could hear the breath leave him in one gasp. The other three were either against the wall or on the ground, but they gathered themselves as quickly as possible and reassumed their fighting stances.

The door behind them flew open, and another wave of force came rushing in. They dodged to the side and watched with horror as dozens of black and red forms pushed through the door.

All the cognitions from the hall had become formless Shadows, and they were all congealing in the room with Kobayakawa and his Treasure at the center. The resulting enemy was the formation of all Kobayakawa’s fears, anxieties, and neglected responsibilities, and it was massive enough to burst through the ceiling of the Palace. Dozens of faces swirled beneath the Shadow’s translucent skin, twisted with anguish.

The ceiling directly above the Thieves crumbled, and one of the Shadow’s hands picked them all up in one swipe, throwing them onto the roof. Goro curled in on himself and clutched his side, trying to catch his breath.

Morgana called for Zorro, healing the team and urging them back to their feet. “We have to beat it to get the Treasure inside!” he called. “Let’s go!” 

They congregated close together, weapons drawn. Makoto used a frei spell that hit near the center of the enemy, but it barely reacted to the attack. She grit her teeth and cast mafrei next, hitting four areas: its head, chest, and both arms. 

“This is going to be a long fight,” she called. “Take out the arms first!”

They set to it, Makoto and Morgana casting spells that hit all four areas while Yusuke and Goro focused their physical attacks on one arm. The enemy began by smashing its fist onto one target at a time, but, after they wore down some of its vitality, it swept its arm across the entire roof, catching everyone off guard. They attempted to duck but were bruised and pushed near the edge of the building. As the four of them tried to get closer to the center of the roof, the Shadow used its long arms to hold them off, flicking them back like insects.

“We’re out of its range,” Morgana analyzed. “Just focus on casting spells for now!”

As soon as he said that, a jet of ice shot from the Shadow’s mouth, hitting Makoto in the chest. She fell backwards and nearly skidded off the roof before Goro ran to pull her back from the edge. Yusuke stood in front of them defensively, casting sukukaja on Makoto. The enemy shot another torrent of ice, but Yusuke took the hit with barely a flinch.

“Cast from back there,” he ordered. “I’ll draw its fire.”

Goro switched to a Persona with ice resistance and joined Yusuke in front, feeling a rush of energy as Morgana healed them. There was little he or Yusuke could do to harm the enemy, as Goro only had ice spells and the Shadow was out of physical attack range, even for their Personas. Goro and Yusuke took the Shadow’s hits without losing their vitality while the other two attacked with spells. Seeing the futility of its attacks, the Shadow roared and tore through the Palace to get closer, moving as though it walked through thick mud. The metal supports screamed in protest as the Shadow progressed closer, and the building was shaking by the time it crossed half the roof.

“Stop it!” Morgana commanded. Yusuke and Goro ran towards the center of the roof, drawing its attacks to stop its progress forward. Yusuke dodged the next swipe of its arm, but Goro wasn’t as agile and was thrown to the side. He recovered in time to see the Shadow aim another blast of ice at Makoto, and she rolled out of the way just in time.

Yusuke and Goro continued hitting with physical attacks to draw the Shadow’s attention, but it was insistent on attacking Makoto. It pushed Goro aside again and continued ripping through the building in its efforts to get to the side where Makoto and Morgana were. At this rate, they ran the risk of collapsing inwards.

Goro heard Morgana yelling something, but he couldn’t make out the words from this distance. He watched him and Makoto while attacking the enemy, but he gasped aloud when Makoto picked up Morgana, twirled him for momentum, and hurled him toward the center of the roof.

Morgana landed on the Shadow’s head with a screech and used Zorro for a barrage of strikes to the left arm, which was nearly incapacitated. From a close range, a few lucky shots were all it took for the whole arm to break off and disintegrate. The cognitions that made up the arm floated away, moaning in pain as they drifted off.

The Shadow screamed and tried to use its remaining arm to knock Morgana off, but he dodged the swipes easily, attacking all the while. After more failed attempts, the Shadow let out another scream and threw itself backward, trying to crush Morgana under its weight. They both fell through the fifth floor of the building as the giant Shadow destroyed the floor beneath.

“Mona!”

The other three Thieves ran to the hole the Shadow created, and Goro nearly fell as the ceiling around it crumbled inward. The monster stood back up, its head and shoulders still above the roof from its place on the fourth floor. Makoto took the opportunity to slide down its body to find Morgana, and the other two joined her, the Shadow too shocked from impact to respond in time.

Morgana was unconscious on the lower floor but still breathing. Goro tore through his belongings for a revival bead and used it, following up with a potion when Morgana swayed to his feet.

“Not my best idea,” he admitted.

Yusuke cast another sukukaja on him. “It certainly got us somewhere.”

“We’ve almost taken out both arms,” Makoto said. “We have to—”

Metal screeched again as the Shadow stomped down, narrowly missing Morgana. Nimble as ever, the cat leapt to the side and started climbing its leg to the rooftop. “We’re at a disadvantage down here!” he called. “Follow me!”

The other three paused a moment, watching the Shadow’s legs thrash about until its foot nearly connected with Makoto. She dodged and sunk the spikes of her gloves into its ankle, using them as holds to begin her climb. Yusuke and Goro followed her example, pausing to hold tight when the Shadow shook its leg. As they approached the fifth floor, the Shadow reached down again and threw them back to the roof, which was about half-destroyed. Morgana, who somehow made it up without taking damage, rushed to them to heal.

“Same strategy,” he said. “Just keep attacking the arm, then go for the head.”

“The building’s on the verge of collapse,” Goro protested, stumbling to his feet. “We’ll barely be able to move around this roof—”

They dodged another swipe of the Shadow’s arm, and there was no spot left on the roof they could go to get out of its range. Goro took another hit of ice with a scoff, then continued his thought.

“We need to push it off,” he said, “and keep attacking from a higher point on the building as long as it’s still standing. We don’t have the time to take out its legs, too, so we need to stay above it.”

Makoto and Morgana leapt out of the way of the Shadow’s descending fist, which ripped another hole through the rooftop and split the group in half. “How do we push it off?” Morgana yelled.

“Can you get onto its head after Fox and I take out the next arm?”

“If I have to. What do I do then?”

“We’ll draw it closer to the edge as we’re attacking the arm.” He cast a light spell on the right arm as he spoke, ducking under the next blast of ice. “After the arm goes and it’s close to the edge, you get onto its head and hit it in the chest with the strongest wind spell you have.”

“And what, fall off with it? No, thanks!”

“You’re more than capable of jumping back in time.”

“I’ll take that challenge!” Morgana and Makoto hopped back over the hole in the rooftop, joining the other two. “Get to it, then.”

Goro and Yusuke sprinted across what was left of the roof, leading the Shadow away from the building’s center with their attacks. The right arm began convulsing as if about to burst, but it held together for another swipe at Yusuke and Goro. Exhausted from climbing and running, they didn’t get out of the way in time and were pushed near the drop.

“Be careful!” Morgana yelled, healing them remotely.

Goro snarled as he returned to his feet, just a few steps away from the edge. He moved closer to Yusuke and hit with another physical attack, destroying the arm. “Now, Mona!”

The Shadow howled in rage as its other arm dissipated, and it didn’t notice Makoto gearing up to throw Morgana again. Morgana sailed through the air and landed on the side of its head, digging his claws in for purchase. The enemy reeled back, tossing its neck from side to side, growing closer to the edge with every stagger. Zorro appeared behind Morgana and hit the Shadow with a gust of wind, knocking its balance off.

Goro watched the Shadow fall into the open air and jerk its head to the side, throwing Morgana toward the ground five stories below.

“Mona!”

The Shadow screamed as it fell, landing with a crash. The three of them rushed to the edge to see the courtyard destroyed, students fleeing as the Shadow attempted to right itself.

“Mona!” Goro yelled again, voice cracking.

“I’m right here, idiot!” a voice called from below.

They all leaned over the edge. “Where?”

Morgana peeked out from the third floor, where the walls had been ripped out. “We can attack from this floor,” he said. “Get down here!”

Goro exhaled with relief, then followed Yusuke and Makoto through one of the holes in the roof. They joined Morgana and braced themselves as the Shadow stood, now almost at eye level with the team. It looked worse for the wear after the fall, and they could hear the cognitions inside gasping for breath. Goro shivered.

The Shadow was only able to attack using its legs and head now, and it fired an ice attack at Morgana. As Morgana dodged hit after hit, the Shadow screeched and started kicking at the first floor of the building.

Makoto swore. “It’s trying to take out the foundation,” she yelled over the din. “We have to defeat it quickly!”

The four of them cast their strongest spells, not needing to heal as the Shadow focused its efforts on destroying the building. It reeled from their hits, roared, and threw its whole body towards them.

The impact knocked Goro backward, and the sound of screeching metal assaulted his ears as the building collapsed. He couldn’t keep his eyes open and fell, unable to breathe as a crushing weight followed him downward.

When the noises stopped, he opened his eyes to see a miasma of tortured faces before him. The Shadow’s skin was pressed against his face, and it seemed that the Shadow had taken the brunt of the damage as the fourth and fifth floors had collapsed on top of it.

Goro gasped for breath and tried to move, but he was pinned beneath the weight. He felt panic set in when he failed to summon his Persona. His vision blurred at the edges as he trashed in vain, and he realized he was about to pass out. He flexed his fingers hard, pushing against the Shadow’s skin in whatever way he could, but it wasn’t going to be enough.

“Johanna!”

A burst of blue-white light exploded into his vision, and the Shadow let out a last screech before rolling over, taking the rubble with it as it faded.

Goro’s hands leapt to his throat as he breathed in, coughing between inhalations. He rolled onto his side, clutching at his ribs, eyes squeezed shut and burning from the light.

Another wave of healing energy restored his breathing, and he relished in the sensation, taking in deep lungfuls before he opened his eyes.

Yusuke was a few feet away from him, on all fours as he pushed himself up from the floor. Morgana and Makoto were running towards them, the rubble of the building looming behind them.

Goro sat up and shuddered. “Is everyone okay?”

“You’re looking the worst for the wear,” Morgana said, eyes squinted with concern. “Queen was the only one that got out of the way in time—if it weren’t for her, we might’ve all suffocated.”

He looked up at her, eyes still teary from the blast of light and the lack of oxygen. “Thank you.”

Makoto extended a hand to help him up, and he took it, pulling himself shakily to his feet. His energy was almost completely spent, and it was all he could do to stay standing. Yusuke stood beside him, looking pale and exhausted beneath his mask. 

“Now that everyone’s in one piece,” Morgana said, “we still have to get the Treasure.” 

He led them back to the pile of rubble, but Goro stumbled as he tried to follow. Yusuke and Makoto fell back to support him on either side, and he bit back a wave of shame as they helped him walk forward. Kobayakawa’s Shadow crawled from the pile as they approached, his back heaving. A large key glowed next to him, and Morgana picked it up, holding it close to his chest.

Goro swallowed, then stepped in front of Makoto and Yusuke, fighting to stay upright. “Tell us about the SIU,” he demanded, voice miraculously steady. “Why are you involved with them?”

“They’ll kill me if I tell you,” Kobayakawa said. “I can’t.” 

The Shadow tried pushing himself to his feet, but he fell back onto all fours, arms shaking. Makoto wrinkled her nose at the sight and stood beside Goro, supporting him with a hand on his shoulder. “What are you going to do now?” she asked. 

The Shadow paused, shoulders slumping down. His forehead nearly rested against the ground as he said, “I don’t know.”

“I’ll tell you, then.” Makoto dug the toe of her boot into the dust near Kobayakawa’s head, prompting him to shrink back. “You’re going to do the job you were hired to do. If you can’t quit because of the SIU, then give your students and employees the dedication they deserve from you.”

Kobayakawa nodded, still curling in on himself.

Makoto stared, then softened her stance. She knelt on the ground and lowered her voice to say, “We just need a name. We won’t let the SIU know that you told us. Just the name of the person who hired you.”

Kobayakawa stilled. They waited in the silence surrounding the collapsed Palace, tense to hear his answer.

“Hiroto Togashi,” he said. They might have been content with just that, but he continued. “He hired me to scout for young talent. It’s been my job to choose the most promising students, pave their way to university, and give their contact information to my superior. The goal is to secure them a job working for the SIU or a related organization working towards our larger goal.”

“How many students have you done this for?” Makoto asked.

“Not many,” the Shadow said. “I can only focus my efforts on a handful of students per class. I’ve had the job for a few years—there have been about twenty students altogether.”

“Are any of them working for the SIU yet?”

“No. The oldest group is in their last year of university.”

“And what are you going to do about them after this?”

“I don’t know,” Kobayakawa repeated. His form was starting to fade and glow. 

Goro intervened. “What’s your larger goal?”

Kobayakawa shook his head. “They wouldn’t tell me. Something vague about working for the greater good.”

“Greater good?” Makoto repeated. “That’s all you know?”

“I don’t think I even know that much.”

That was the last thing Kobayakawa said before he faded completely away, and Makoto swore again as they were denied further answers. With the Palace already collapsed, their exit was mercifully easy; they headed to the area by the former entrance, where the heavy doorframe still stood, and left the Metaverse.

Goro leaned against the wall outside Shujin, closing his eyes against a wave of vertigo. The transition from the Metaverse to the real world was jarring on a good day, and Goro was no longer in fighting condition.

A hand squeezed his shoulder, and he looked up to see Makoto and Yusuke. “Do you need to sit?” Makoto asked. 

Goro slid down the wall in response, exhaling in shuddering spurts. His team knelt beside him, and Morgana headbutted his leg. “We gotta get you home,” he said. “We can talk about all this later.”

Yusuke wrapped his arm around Goro’s shoulders. “Will you be able to walk? I am more than willing to carry you back.”

Goro laughed, unconsciously leaning into the contact. “That could cause some alarm. I just need a moment to gather myself, and then we can go.”

Makoto examined their surroundings, then sat next to Goro. “You were right that this is all connected to a larger picture,” she said. Her eyes stared at the ground, unfocused. “I can’t quite believe it. To think my own principal was doing something so sinister.”

“We don’t know how sinister yet,” Goro pointed out, “though it’s certainly not looking good. We’ll have to look into the SIU next.” He shifted, wincing from the answering ache in his ribs. Yusuke pulled him a bit closer and rubbed his shoulder. “Whenever things settle down.”

“You’ve all been working really hard,” Morgana said. He leaned against Goro’s leg, and the weight was comforting. “You definitely deserve a break from all this Metaverse stuff.”

“I agree.” Makoto leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh. “I’ll look out for the change of heart in Kobayakawa. If he confesses publicly like Madarame did, it seems like he’ll be in danger. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Makoto.” Goro beamed, his smile genuine through his exhaustion. “I truly do appreciate having you on the team. I regret my initial behavior to you more each day.”

“That’s all behind us,” Makoto said. She smiled back, but her eyes were still unfocused. “Do you need help getting up?”

He tried to stand on his own, but Yusuke’s arm refused to move from his shoulders. Goro allowed the others to support him as he gained his footing, then waved them away. “I’m feeling better now. Let’s head back.”

“Let me carry your bag.” Yusuke held it open for Morgana, who hopped inside. They all walked back to the subway, Yusuke staying so close to Goro that they kept bumping into each other. They parted ways with Makoto, who seemed lost in thought; none of them had spoken much more on their way back, processing the day’s events separately. As Morgana said, there would be time to talk later.

Unfortunately, the subway was crowded on that late Saturday afternoon, forcing Yusuke and Goro to stand and support themselves on handholds. The lurching of the subway had never bothered Goro before, but he could hardly keep himself upright as it was; a particularly abrupt break had him nearly toppling over, stopped by the strength of his own arms and Yusuke’s.

Yusuke continued holding tight to his arm as the subway stopped, and Goro hardly had the energy to feel embarrassed.

He crossed the threshold of their apartment with immense relief, greeted by the Sayuri and the sight of Yusuke’s art supplies scattered about. Yusuke set the bag down, allowing Morgana to roam free, and escorted Goro to his room. 

“Lie down,” he instructed. “I’ll bring you dinner.”

Was this what it felt like to live with others who actually cared about his wellbeing? How novel. He lie down, eyes slipping shut almost immediately. Morgana sat by his shoulder, tail flicking against his arm every so often.

“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked. “That was scary back there.”

“Yes,” Goro said. “I just need to rest.”

“Okay.” Morgana nuzzled his cheek, startling him into higher awareness. “Good work today. I’ll go make sure Yusuke doesn’t burn the kitchen down.”

“I can hear you,” Yusuke called, “and I resent the implication that I am incapable of cooking a basic meal.”

“I’ve certainly never seen him do it,” Morgana muttered, stalking off. Goro smiled and closed his eyes again.

He stirred as his bedroom door creaked further open. Yusuke padded in with a plate of food, waiting for Goro to sit up before he handed it to him.

“Thank you, Yusuke,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Yusuke said, “but you seem to have fared the worst of out all of us. You were directly in the center of that Shadow after the building collapsed atop it.”

Goro took a bite. It was passable, made better by his hunger and Yusuke’s care. Yusuke left briefly to get food for him and Morgana, and they both returned a minute later. Morgana ate with as much enthusiasm as always, but Yusuke set his plate on the ground in favor of looking at Goro.

Goro lowered his own plate, feeling self-conscious under the intense gaze. “Something on my face?” he joked.

One of many great things about Yusuke was that he always said what was on his mind. “I do not know if I shall ever habituate to seeing you in near-death situations.” Yusuke shook his head, finally averting his eyes to the floor. “I would not ever _wish_ to habituate, but I feel that I must if we continue our forays into the Metaverse.”

Goro didn’t know what to say to that. He closed his eyes to think. “We have to keep going,” he eventually said. “I want to investigate this matter about the SIU further. And repay our debt to Morgana,” he added.

Yusuke clenched his fists. “I understand that, and I have the same goals. However, you must promise me to take better care of your health and wellbeing. It pains me to see you hurt, and almost losing you today was… indescribable.”

Goro placed his hand atop Yusuke’s, prompting him to look back up. “I’ll promise if you do the same.”

Yusuke paused a moment, then smiled. “We have a deal.” He unclenched his hand and turned it over to hold Goro’s in some semblance of a handshake. 

Morgana looked between them, licking a bit of food from his whiskers. “Hey, what about me? I almost died a couple times today, too!”

Yusuke used his other hand to pat Morgana between the ears. “You and Queen were very brave,” he said, “but foolhardy. Would you like to make a deal, as well?”

They shook hands with Morgana the best they could, promising to look out for themselves. Yusuke’s hand remained clasped in Goro’s for the duration of the evening.

\---

Goro awoke to the sight of a bunk bed above him. He was rarely called to the Velvet Room in his dreams, but he was the night after they stole Madarame’s Treasure. Since they had just completed their infiltration of Kobayakawa’s Palace today, part of him had been expecting to wake up here.

Another part of him was very irritated with having his sleep interrupted.

He sat up and walked to the chair in the room’s center without complaint. Caroline and Justine regarded him from either side of Igor, seated at the desk as always.

“Congratulations are in order,” Igor said. “You’ve shown a coward another way to live, and discovered another layer of intrigue atop that.”

“What do you know about this?” Goro demanded. As expected, Caroline rapped the side of his chair with her baton and scolded him.

Igor remained unchanged, also as expected. “I’m confident that you can uncover the answers yourself.”

“Is it related to the end you mentioned?”

No response. Kobayakawa had spoken of a “greater good” that his organization was working towards; how could that be related to the apocalypse that Igor kept hinting at?

“That will be all for tonight,” Igor said. “I merely wanted to offer you some words of encouragement. You may return to your rest now.”

Goro moved to stand, still prepared to demand answers, but the world faded to blue before he could get his footing. He didn’t wake up until late the next morning.

**June 29, 2014 (Sunday)**

When Goro opened the door to his bedroom, Makoto was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen. She turned to greet him with a soft laugh.

“It’s almost noon,” she said. “Are you really just waking up?”

Goro left his mouth slightly open as he thought of a response. “I nearly died yesterday,” he settled on. “I deserved a rest.”

“He did,” Yusuke chimed in from his workspace. He set down his brush and stood, smiling at Goro. “Are you feeling better?”

“Very much so. Did you all rest up?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Makoto admitted. “I envy you a bit, to be honest. I’m sorry for coming over unannounced, but I had to speak with you all.”

“To be fair, it wasn’t unannounced,” Morgana added. “You were texting about it in the group chat; Akechi was just asleep for it.”

Goro checked his phone to see about 15 unread messages, then put it away with a sigh. “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m very worried about this change of heart,” Makoto said. “I don’t want Kobayakawa killed or silenced by his employers, but I don’t know how he’d be able to proceed without alerting them of his non-compliance. He could be a valuable ally and informant if he manages to stay alive.” She paused, resting her back against the counter. “More than that, I want him to right his own wrongs. I really do think he has the potential to turn himself around and become a good leader, but he might not have that chance if we don’t intervene in the real world in some way.”

“I absolutely agree,” Goro said. “At the moment, all we have is the name of Kobayakawa’s benefactor, along with several sets of initials and dates. Having him on our side to provide more information would be incredibly useful.” He frowned as he thought further. “Part of the issue is that we came across all that information in the Metaverse. How can we get Kobayakawa to trust and help us without going through his real office at Shujin?”

Makoto slumped further. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.”

“Isn’t your older sister connected to the SIU, Makoto?” Morgana asked. “Maybe you could say that you heard something from her.”

She shook her head. “It’s a good thought, but my sister has only worked with them a handful of times. It wouldn’t be plausible for her to have come across that connection at any point.”

“It does not have to be the truth,” Yusuke said. “Unless we plan to tell him about the Metaverse in full, we’ll already be lying to him. We have observed that he, in his cowardice, is unlikely to attempt confirming whatever lie we tell him.”

“That’s true,” Makoto muttered, “but I would prefer to keep my sister out of this.”

Morgana’s ears drooped as he took a seat on the counter. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. We’ll just have to keep brainstorming.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes drooping shut. “Maybe I could say I have an informant who works with the police, which could be Akechi, but I think he would assume that I was talking about Sae anyway. He’s already mentioned her to me several times; apparently they’ve met.”

“What’s the worst that could happen if he thinks it’s Sae?” Goro asked. “If the change of heart is permanent, it’s unlikely that he’ll report her to the higher-ups.”

“But if he does, she could lose her job if she’s associated with this so-called corruption in the SIU,” Makoto argued. “Kobayakawa’s Shadow was afraid for his life. I don’t want Sae in a similar situation.”

It must have been nice to have a living family member to worry about. Goro suppressed his envy and said, “Tell him you overheard a phone conversation from his office.”

“What if he asks for details?”

“We know that he’s been receiving threats lately and that he scouts students for the SIU to hire. It’s more than likely that he’s spoken about these matters on the phone at some point in the recent past, and he won’t deny it after the change of heart.” 

“We need to get to him before the change of heart so he doesn’t do anything that’ll get him killed,” Makoto said. “Yusuke, you said that Madarame was docile after our infiltration, correct?” Yusuke nodded. “It’s likely that Kobayakawa won’t deny it if I go to him before the change of heart, either. Perhaps I can influence him not to jeopardize his safety when he feels compelled to reveal his sins.”

“How will we keep the SIU’s suspicions off him?” Yusuke asked. “If he stops performing his duties, it seems that he’ll die either way.”

Makoto sat up straighter, eyes brightening with an idea. “I can be the scapegoat,” she said. “He can give them my name to keep them at bay, and they may even contact me at some point. Even though I’m only a first-year, he could convince them that I’m worth hiring.”

“Sounds risky,” Morgana said. “Are you sure you want to do that to yourself?”

She nodded without hesitation. “We have to get to the bottom of this. We don’t know the nature of it, but it sounds dangerous. It’s our duty to do what we can.”

“It sounds like we have a plan, then.” Goro smiled at Makoto as he walked to the fridge. “Shall we entrust it to you? It would be suspicious for me or Yusuke to be seen at Shujin.”

“I can handle it myself,” Makoto confirmed. “Thank you all for the help.”

“When will you confront him?” Yusuke asked.

“As soon as possible. We don’t know exactly when the change of heart will take place, so I’ll have to arrange a meeting soon.”

Morgana nuzzled his head to Makoto’s shoulder. “We know you can do it.”

**July 9, 2014 (Wednesday)**

The day before the study period for their exams, the students of Shujin were called to an assembly. Except Makoto, everyone seemed to assume that it would be a regular speech to wrap up the term. Kobayakawa took the stage and quickly shattered everyone’s expectations.

“I have failed you all,” he began. A shocked hush hit the room. “As a principal, it is my job to be invested in your education and your futures. Each and every one of you deserves the fullest resources at your disposal, but I have been favoring only the students with the highest marks in my time as principal of Shujin Academy.”

Makoto sat bolt upright in the audience, heart in her throat as he continued. “That stops today. In the next term, I resolve to be more available to all my students. I am responsible for your learning and growth, and I will hold office hours each day for students or faculty that would like to express their concerns or ideas.” He swallowed, sweating beneath the spotlights. “As I double my commitment to Shujin, I encourage all of you to consider joining the student council next year. I plan to attend each meeting, listen to you, and implement your ideas to the best of my ability. I would encourage the faculty to double their efforts, as well. Listen to students with questions instead of shutting them down. Accept their feedback readily. Together, we can make Shujin the springboard for your bright futures.”

He paused, looking to the far wall. Makoto held her breath, praying that he wouldn’t reveal his involvement with the SIU. Eventually, he walked offstage, and the vice principal approached the podium slowly. 

“With all that said, let’s go through the end-of-year announcements.”

Makoto allowed herself to relax, pressing a hand over her heart to calm herself. He’d listened to her. They could keep moving forward.

After the assembly ended, Makoto made a beeline for the principal’s office, attuned to the conversations around her.

“What was all that Kobayakawa was saying? He’s the same as any other principal, isn’t he?”

“He’s kind of an ass, dude. It was funny for him to admit it.”

“Is what he said related to the cards posted around the school?”

“Seems like it. I guess it shocked him enough for him to get his act together.”

“But what if it really was the Phantom Thieves?”

“I don’t know about that, man.”

“Did you see him sweat?” 

“Gross. There’s nothing to get so worked up over.”

She headed up the stairs, taking a few deep breaths before she knocked on his office door.

“Come in.”

Makoto opened the door slowly, offering Kobayakawa a smile. “That was great,” she said.

Kobayakawa folded his hands across his desktop. They were still a bit shaky. “Thank you for saying so,” he said, “but it felt wrong not to confess everything. They deserve to know.”

“Who really deserves to know are the students you sent to university,” Makoto said, taking a seat. “I think you should tell them about your involvement with the SIU and trust that they won’t give you away. If some of them are hired by the SIU, maybe they could act as further informants.”

Kobayakawa thought that over for a moment. “What do you need with all this information? I don’t believe you ever told me. Have you already spoken with your sister about it?”

Makoto shook her head. “I’m working with a couple other people to find out more about the SIU. If Sae is involved with them, I’m concerned for her safety.”

Kobayakawa sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much more than what I’ve told you. They wouldn’t tell me who’s highest in the chain of command or what their ultimate goal is. If you’re really determined to find that out, please be careful. I’ll help you in any way I can—that’s the least I can do.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Principal Kobayakawa. I’ll let you be for now.” She handed him a number. “Please call me if there are any new developments.”

“I will,” he promised, taking the paper. 

She stood to leave, smiling over her shoulder before she closed the door.

“Enjoy your summer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually started liking my version of Kobayakawa more when I wrote this chapter, which I wasn’t expecting! He was kind of a cardboard cutout in the game, so it was fun to try fleshing out his character a bit more. This was also the first boss fight I've designed and fully written out, so I hope you enjoyed! I think there was some inconsistency in how tall the Shadow actually was but I did m'best


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 months between updates? No problem....
> 
> Part of the reason it's been hard to update is bc I wrote most of this fic, like, 2-3 years ago at this point, and I'm struggling with the placement of certain scenes or understanding how the pacing reads to the audience. At this point I think I'm just gonna try to upload everything I have without overthinking too much and then see how I feel about writing the rest of the story. This interlude moves pretty quickly with some key scenes, and then we’ll get started on the next Palace in the next chapter!

**July 29, 2014 (Tuesday)**

Goro stood just before the courtroom doors, fighting back the mounting panic in his chest. Makoto and Morgana had come to watch Madarame’s trial, and Yusuke was waiting inside as one of the witnesses he was to call. They had spent weeks preparing his testimony, even visiting Madarame in prison to extract confessions from him that they had previously only heard in the Metaverse. That visit alone seemed to give Yusuke some closure, but this was the most important part of the process.

It would be fine. He’d spent the last two weeks after exams in intense preparation, and they were nearly guaranteed a guilty verdict. All he had to do was recite what he’d rehearsed.

Nijima laid a hand on his shoulder, startling him from his reverie. “You’ll do fine,” she said, echoing his own thoughts. “Leave the heavy lifting to me. Observe what I do and call the witnesses when necessary. This should be simple.”

Goro nodded, swallowing when Nijima stepped ahead of him to open the doors. He straightened up and walked in, well aware of the members of the press in the audience. He’d gained some amount of notoriety in the past month as a teenage detective, drawing many comparisons to the famous Naoto Shirogane. Now representatives of the public were here to judge his performance.

There were so many layers of expectation, and he had to navigate all of them perfectly.

He took his place beside Nijima in the courtroom, projecting confidence. He noticed Makoto in a row close by, with the bag that housed Morgana at her side, and smiled. Makoto nodded back, steely-eyed. His gaze swiveled to the witness stand, where Yusuke sat beside several other victims of Madarame. They maintained eye contact for a moment, and then the proceedings began.

The judge introduced the case, and Nijima gave the prosecution’s opening statement. Madarame had been provided with a public defender, but, from the looks of Madarame, he was already defeated. It didn’t seem like he wanted the defender in the first place; it was more of a formality than anything else. The sight of Madarame already holding back tears in the courtroom bolstered Goro’s confidence; he’d show the court why this man should be condemned.

When asked to plead his case, Madarame said he was guilty. Goro fought back a smug smile, remembering how cruel Madarame’s Shadow had been, how it had nearly killed him and Yusuke after they tried to steal the Treasure. He was pathetic and powerless now, and he knew it.

Goro called a set of witnesses to the stand, and each had a different account of the way Madarame had thoroughly ruined their life after he was through plagiarizing their work. Yusuke had wanted to give his testimony last — the nail in the coffin, so to speak. He approached the stand after a series of witnesses had already convinced the audience of Madarame’s guilt, and Goro gave him an encouraging smile. Yusuke took a deep breath and launched into the final version of his testimony, which they had spent so many nights perfecting.

“Madarame has been my sensei for about eleven years. He took me in when I was three years old, after my mother died unexpectedly, and immediately began to isolate me from my peers. I had made a friend at the orphanage I stayed at temporarily, and this friend attempted to write to me. Although I have since obtained confirmation from Madarame that we did receive the letter, he never gave it to me. He chose to isolate a three year-old child from his only friend in favor of telling him to focus on his art.” Yusuke allowed the words to sink in, then continued with a confidence and conviction that made Goro’s throat close up. “Since that incident, he has continued to isolate me, discouraging me from forming any positive relationships with my peers. He always emphasized sacrificing everything for the art that I produced and that he stole, praising me when I would forget to eat and expecting more and more pieces from me as I grew older.”

The next part was the true nail in the coffin. Madarame’s public defender sat by in despair, having given up about two testimonies ago.

“Several months ago, in April, I discovered several dozen copies of the Sayuri in one of our house’s storage rooms. When I visited Madarame in prison to ask about them, he told me that he’d been making copies of his most famous painting and selling them at a premium. The public was under the assumption that the original had been lost, and Madarame was claiming that each painting he sold was the lost masterpiece. He amassed quite a fortune doing this. On top of these despicable acts, he also revealed to me that he is not the true creator of the Sayuri.” Yusuke paused again, inhaled. “The true creator was my mother, who he allowed to die in front of him so he could claim her work as his own.”

The audience chattered amongst themselves, and Goro noticed the journalists taking furious notes. As he’d feared, Yusuke would face harassment from the press after this trial, but that had been a price that Yusuke was willing to pay for letting the world know about the Sayuri’s true creator.

Their case was made. Madarame was weeping by the defense bench. “I’m sorry, Yusuke,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

Yusuke was silent as he stepped down from the stand.

The verdict came swiftly after that, and the viewers were ushered out. Madarame was taken away in handcuffs, and his public defender followed behind, posture slumped.

Nijima turned to Goro with a rare smile. “Wonderful work,” she said. “It impresses me how thorough you were in putting the evidence together.”

Goro beamed, riding the high of a successful trial. “Thank you very much, Nijima. You were an incredible help to me.”

The witnesses approached them, shaking their hands. Yusuke approached Goro last, drawing him into an embrace. He was trembling.

“Thank you, Goro,” he whispered.

“Thank you for your testimony,” Goro whispered back. “You did perfectly.”

They separated to smile at each other, not quite believing this part of their lives was over. They could move on.

Makoto was waiting for them outside with the bag, and she had to hold it shut as they exited; Morgana was apparently attempting to escape while still in the building. “That was amazing,” she said, acting as if she wasn’t struggling with her bag. “Congratulations to all of you.”

Nijima nodded, then turned to Yusuke and Goro. “The press will be lingering outside for quite some time, I imagine. You’re both free to stay here and wait them out.”

Goro looked to Yusuke for his answer. “Thank you for the offer, and for all your work on this case, Nijima,” Yusuke said. “However, I think we should be moving along.”

“Very well.” She smiled sardonically. “Good luck out there, then. Akechi, remember we start work on a new case tomorrow. Report to work at the usual time.”

He nodded and thanked her once more, and then they headed out. Morgana kept trying to escape, but Makoto hushed him as they stepped before of a crowd filled with microphones and recorders.

“Akechi, how does it feel to win your first case?”

“Have you been inspired by Naoto Shirogane?”

“What’s next for you?”

“Take my business card, come in any time for a live interview!”

Goro led his friends out of the crowd, waving people aside with a polite smile. They were almost out when a woman with shocking red lipstick jumped in front of him, shoving a recording device nearly against his mouth.

“Why was Madarame saving up so much money? Was it really just for personal use?”

He nearly paused, turning to her as he walked. “What an interesting question,” he said. “He claimed it was, but you seem to think differently.”

She walked alongside them as they grew further from the courthouse. “It’s just a hunch. Maybe think about asking him if you get the chance.” She handed him a business card. “Let me know if you get any answers. I can make it worth your time.”

They escaped the press, and Goro continued his brisk pace towards their next destination. As they turned the corner, Morgana could finally pop his head out of the bag. “That was amazing!” he meowed. “Yusuke, you really told him off! I can’t believe how composed you sounded.”

Yusuke looked down with a smile. “Thank you, Morgana. I’m rather proud, myself.” From the corner of his eye, Goro could see Yusuke turn to him. “Goro was a great help in preparing the testimony and gathering all the witnesses. I’ve exchanged contact information with several of them, so I anticipate hearing more about them soon.”

“Yeah, great job, Akechi! It must feel great to have all your hard work pay off.” Before Goro could respond, Morgana added, “Is your older sister always that scary at work, Makoto? If it was me, I’d confess right away, even without the change of heart.”

Makoto laughed, some strain in her voice as she said, “She can be quite intimidating, yes. She always does what she thinks is right, though, and I’m glad she was on our side.”

“Me, too,” Morgana said. “Hey, Akechi, where are we headed now?”

Goro looked over his shoulder to respond. “We finally have some time for a proper celebration. I’ll treat you all to dinner.”

“Are we finally going to one of those conveyor belt places?” Morgana asked. “We didn’t get to last time! I wanna see!”

Goro shook his head. “Somewhere nicer than that.”

“Conveyor belt sushi is not good, Morgana,” Makoto said. “You’d be very disappointed.”

Morgana’s ears drooped for a moment, but he perked back up quickly. “Where are we going, then?”

“You’ll see shortly.”

They continued their walk, Morgana grumbling enough to attract the attention of observant passerby. The other three were content to think to themselves; having the trial over with was a significant step forward, but there were many unknowns they’d have to discuss soon. For now, Goro would try not to think about them, but they would continue to loom nonetheless.

They entered the hotel that Goro led them to, and he could sense their confusion until he led them to the buffet around the corner. He paid for their passes and set them loose, noting that Morgana was dictating to Makoto everything he wanted.

After they ate their fill, discussion turned to their next move. “We’re going to continue investigating this case, right?” Makoto asked.

The other three confirmed, and Morgana added that they should make more trips to Mementos to see how far they could go now. Some word had spread—mostly around Shujin—about the Phantom Thieves over the past month, and more paths should be open to them.

“How should we proceed?” Yusuke asked. “Shall we go straight to the Director? Such a corrupt man would likely have a Palace.”

“That’s our most solid lead at the moment, yes,” Goro said. “However, I think we should get a sense of the larger picture first. We may be able to glean some information from his Palace or his Shadow, but we know very little of the nature of his organization, his connections, and so on. It would be pertinent to do some research and investigation in the real world first before we make any more moves.”

“The Metaverse way is more fun, though,” Morgana pouted. He drowned his sorrows in another bite of smoked salmon.

“I have to agree,” Makoto said, smiling down at him, “but Akechi’s way is more practical for now. It would make sense to at least confirm the existence of a Palace and guess some key words, but we don’t have to complete the infiltration until we have a better idea of what’s going on.”

They came to an agreement and enjoyed the rest of their time together, departing as the sun began to set. Yusuke, Goro, and Morgana headed straight home, exhausted from the day’s events. Morgana went to sleep early, leaving Yusuke and Goro in the common area.

“How are you feeling, Yusuke?” Goro asked.

He leaned against the counter, posture somewhat tense. “There is a certain sense of closure from the case, but hearing other testimonies concerned me. I’d like to stay in contact with some of the other pupils and see where they go from here.” He looked to his art supplies across the room, brow furrowed. “The application to Kosei is also due in about a month, and I’ve run into some self-doubt. With how this trial has been publicized, I’m sure they will expect something otherworldly from me.”

“You do otherworldly very well,” Goro said. “I have every confidence in you.”

“Thank you, Goro.” Yusuke turned his head with a smile. “You have been incredibly kind to me. I must make it up to you somehow.”

“You’ve committed to staying with me to investigate this business with the SIU. That carries a great risk, and I can consider that your repayment, if you really feel it necessary.” He smiled back. “I’ve never expected you to repay me for anything. I’m just happy to see through the matter with Madarame and see you safe.”

As Goro prepared for bed that night, he found the journalist’s business card from earlier in the day. He looked it over, remembering her questions about Madarame. She seemed attuned to the fact that Madarame could be involved with something larger, using the money he gained for more than personal purposes. 

He ran his fingers over the name: Ichiko Ohya. He’d have to question Madarame and get back to her.

**August 3, 2014 (Sunday)**

The last few days had been busy with case work, but Goro finally had the chance to question Madarame again on his day off. He told Yusuke of his plans and their relevance to the ongoing investigation, and Yusuke had opted to stay home.

“I have nothing more to say to that man,” he’d said. “I’d rather continue work on the portfolio. Let me know your findings.”

So Goro was at the police station again, waiting on the other side of a glass window for the prisoner to emerge. Madarame did eventually come in with a guard, who stood by the door as Madarame sat across the window. The guard’s presence might complicate matters, but Goro only needed to look into this hunch of Ohya’s. If Madarame did have some other motivation behind his extortion, Goro wanted to know about it.

He skipped the pleasantries. “Madarame, I’m here because I have a question regarding the money you made over the years. Simple greed is often a powerful motivator, but I wanted to ask if something more prompted you to swindle people out of their money. What else were you spending the money on?”

Madarame tensed up, and Goro already knew that this was a worthwhile visit. “I can’t give many details,” he said. “They would…” He looked over his shoulder at the guard. “They have people here, too, I’ve heard.”

“Who is ‘they?’” Goro asked. Madarame wouldn’t answer, and he lowered his own voice for the next question. “Are you familiar with Hiroto Togashi?”

His eyes went wide, and he stifled a gasp. 

Goro was guessing in the dark here with the little information he had, but it was getting him somewhere. Fascinating. “You were channeling money to him? Why?”

Madarame was silent for a long time, and Goro thought he wouldn’t answer at all. Finally, he whispered, “They promised me—”

“No whispering,” the guard intervened. Madarame winced and leaned back into his chair.

“He’s working towards a greater good, correct? Would they tell you the nature of that goal?”

Madarame looked confused as he shook his head. “Only power. Influence.”

“For you?”

He nodded.

“Interesting. How did you get involved?”

“They approached me after the Sayuri was released to wide acclaim.” He winced again as he spoke of the painting. Good. “I never knew much more; I provided them funding, they…” He trailed off, subtly drawing a finger across his throat. Had this organization taken hit requests in return for Madarame funding them?

“I see,” Goro said. “Well, it seems like you’ll be quite safe in here. Nothing gets in or out.” He stood to leave. “Enjoy your stay.”

“Wait, please.”

Goro paused.

“How is Yusuke?”

Goro blinked once, smiled. “Do you really think you deserve to know that?”

Madarame’s face crumpled, and Goro walked away feeling vindicated.

Once outside, he left Ohya a voicemail, then texted Yusuke.

 **Goro Akechi, 1:52 p.m.:** _Finished. Shall we meet somewhere to discuss? I’m sure you deserve a break by now._

 **Yusuke Kitagawa, 1:53 p.m.:** _Where do you propose we go?_

 **Goro Akechi, 1:53 p.m.:** _A planetarium just opened across the city. It could be worth looking into._

 **Yusuke Kitagawa, 1:54 p.m.:** _Text me the address and I will meet you there._

Less than an hour later, they met outside and went in together, taking two open seats. As it was the afternoon on a summer weekend, it was somewhat crowded, but they tuned other spectators out as Goro relayed the events of the meeting to Yusuke, leaning their heads together to avoid being overheard. Yusuke laid his bag in his lap, and Morgana popped his head out about halfway through Goro’s explanation.

“I can’t believe you listened to that journalist,” he hissed. “She was probably just trying to get your attention.”

“Hello, Morgana.”

“Yeah, hi. Shouldn’t we be careful about getting involved with the press? It could be dangerous.”

“I’ve become something of a celebrity. Some involvement with the press is inevitable, and we have few other leads besides Togashi himself.”

Morgana tsk’ed. “Don’t get too cocky. We still have to be careful moving forward.”

“I assure you that I’m a very cautious person. May I finish my explanation now?”

He continued uninterrupted, concluding with his interpretations. “It seems that Madarame was also involved with the SIU in some capacity, and they offered to eliminate certain people if he provided them with funding.”

Yusuke scoffed. From this close, Goro could feel the rush of breath on his cheek. “Every day we uncover another rotting layer of this man’s psyche. What could this organization possibly want with so much funding?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing. We still don’t know anything about the organization’s operation or goals, but we at least have more confirmation that they are less than upstanding. We should research more about the director soon.”

Yusuke nodded and leaned back, taking a few minutes to think. Goro looked up to the display with some interest. He’d always lived in urban areas, so stargazing wasn’t an option. Maybe he, Yusuke, and Morgana should take a vacation to the countryside someday.

Morgana climbed up Goro’s arm, interrupting his daydream. “We have to tell Makoto about this,” he hissed. “This is important information; why didn’t you just invite her in the first place?”

Goro didn’t really have an answer that sounded reasonable. He’d only been thinking of Yusuke’s reaction to his former mentor, not of the team. This was, first and foremost, personal.

Morgana rolled his eyes at Goro’s silence. “You should’ve told me this was a date. I would’ve stayed home.” Goro stuttered in response as Morgana climbed back into the bag. “I’m taking a nap,” he declared.

It wasn’t a date. Yusuke was his closest friend and was closely related to Madarame. He’d want to hear about their conversation first, and separately. Goro didn’t feel comfortable telling Yusuke that Madarame had asked about him, and he decided now to keep that to himself. Yusuke had no reason to feel sorry for Madarame, who was doing far too little too late; it was Madarame’s fault that Yusuke was an orphan in the first place, that he now had to depend on another minor for housing.

And there were plenty of friends who went to these kinds of places together.

Goro leaned back farther, crossing his arms. He had been a bit confused by Yusuke as of late, but he didn’t have any other close friendships he could compare this one to. As far as he could tell, Yusuke was sincere but platonic. Goro was content with that — with whatever made Yusuke happy.

“Goro?”

He startled as the subject of his daydream whispered to him. “Yes?”

“Thank you for suggesting this venue,” Yusuke said, voice low in Goro’s ear. “I am sure that this is no substitute for the real night sky, but I am enjoying myself.”

“I’m glad.”

“We should go see the real thing someday.”

Goro froze. Had Yusuke been having the same daydream? Was Goro a part of his future?

Had he heard the comment about the date?

He took a deep breath. Of course they were a part of each other’s futures; they had come this far by looking out for each other, and they would continue to do so.

“We should,” he replied.

That night, he looked for a proper place to put the glowing star stickers Yusuke gifted him. He settled for the ceiling of his bedroom, sticking them in a trail that led to The Fox and the Crow.

**August 4, 2014 (Monday)**

“So tell me about this big scoop you found,” Ohya said. “Madarame’s guilty of more than the press said, right?” She sipped her iced coffee through a metal straw, tapping her foot against her stool as she waited for a response. Goro had come straight here after work and thought it unusual that she was drinking coffee at 5 p.m., but who was he to comment?

“What do you know about this situation?” Goro asked, deflecting her question. “Your question after Madarame’s trial suggested that you have some idea of a larger picture, and you’ve written many articles exposing political scandals.”

“Did some background research on me, huh?” She took another sip. “What a good little detective. Yep, my partner and I are looking into this one bureaucrat right now. He’s supposedly involved with some kind of dirty money, but we don’t know much more than that. We just started our investigation, so we weren’t sure where to look for leads until the Madarame scandal broke.” She leaned in a bit, exacerbating her awful posture. “I got desperate and guessed that the money he was making might be related. Since we’re having this conversation right now, it looks like my intuition might’ve been right.”

So he had nearly placed his trust in a journalist who relied on luck and intuition. Incredibly careless, but he could still salvage this. “What’s the name of the bureaucrat?”

Ohya squinted at him, sizing him up. “I see what you’re trying to play at.” She crossed her arms, resting them on her knees. “Look, I said I’d make it worth your while if you gave me info, right? You haven’t actually told me what you know yet, and I don’t want to tell you this guy’s name. If we’re on the right trail, this scandal could blow up, and I can’t have some kid leaking the info before I do.” She glared up at him. “So here’s the deal. If you tell me what you know, I’ll give you his name so you can keep playing detective. Then, if you find anything on that guy later down the line, you come back to me and we swap notes.”

Correction: he was most likely about to place his trust in a journalist who relied on luck and intuition. At this point, what other leads did they have besides confronting the SIU director himself? If he was part of a larger scheme, getting a better idea of this scheme through real-world investigation could prove helpful.

“I’ll sweeten the deal,” Ohya added as he thought. “What if I write you a couple hype stories? ‘The Second Coming of the Detective Prince’ and all that. You get info and fame from me, I get info from you.” She grinned. “And fame, if this trail’s going where I think it is.”

Like he cared about fame.

Well. Maybe a little. It could help them progress through Mementos if he was more well-known, after all.

“I accept.”

Ohya’s grin widened, and she grabbed his hand to shake. “Awesome. You go first, then.”

He summarized the information he gleaned from Madarame, not bothering to tell her his own thoughts. If she was as sharp as a journalist should be, she’d sort it out on her own.

“Interesting,” she muttered. She put her straw back in her mouth, then frowned when she remembered the cup was empty. “Okay, like I said, I don’t know much, but the bureaucrat’s name is Jiro Midorikawa. I don’t know if he’s related to the SIU, but that’s definitely a possibility.” She took another moment to think, then smiled. “Alright, thanks. Call me again when you have something else.”

**August 6, 2014 (Wednesday)**

“Goro, come look at this.”

Yusuke pointed him to a news article on his phone, allowing him to scroll through as he spoke. “There was an interview with a scientist today, and her research sounds similar to our experiences with the Metaverse. Is it possible that she also has a Persona?”

Goro skimmed the interview summary, then watched the attached video with Yusuke and Morgana. The guest on this news network was a woman named Wakaba Isshiki, who specialized in “cognitive psience.” She spoke generally about the field she had named, holding back an excited smile as the interviewer responded eagerly to her.

“How long have you been working in this field?” he asked.

“It’s a fairly new field of research, which is why I was fortunate enough to name it. I’ve been working with cognitive psience specifically for a couple years, but I’ve always been fascinated by psychology. Researching how the subconscious can manifest in daily life has been extremely rewarding so far, and my colleagues are excited to move forward.”

“So what’s next for you? Where do you think this research could take us?”

“The possibilities and implications are limitless, really. The ability to tap into one’s own subconscious could help patients with trauma, anxiety, depression, or any other number of ailments. We’ve also been looking into the collective subconscious, which falls a bit more into the field of sociology: how people relate to one another systematically, and how power structures emerge from these relations. Learning more about the people’s collective motivations and desires could help direct public policy or even international relations.”

Her conviction grew as she spoke, as did Goro’s on the other side of the screen. “You’ve found something incredible, Yusuke,” he said. He picked up his own phone and researched Wakaba Isshiki, who was working for a research institute close to Akihabara. Her staff webpage listed several of her publications along with her contact information. 

He worked with Yusuke and Morgana to draft an email, running the final version by Makoto in the group chat. They asked for an opportunity to meet with Isshiki and waited for the response. In the meantime, the team continued research on the SIU and Hiroto Togashi, but, predictably, little information was available. They continued to update each other with potential leads, waiting for one of their contacts to tell them something useful.

**August 14, 2014 (Thursday)**

A week passed with no response from Isshiki, and the team decided to go directly to her at work. Ohya wouldn’t exchange information with Goro unless he had something new, and they hadn’t made much progress in the last week. He certainly didn’t intend to talk with Ohya about cognitive psience or the Metaverse, so the most direct route would have to do.

Goro got off work about an hour early that day, which gave the team enough time to meet in front of the research facility to discuss the plan in person.

“Do you think she would be suspicious of a detective asking her questions, or is it more suspicious for regular high school students to meet with her?” Goro asked.

“Way to be insulting, Akechi,” Morgana scoffed. “Yusuke’s kinda famous, too, and Makoto’s far from regular.”

“My face is definitely the least well-known,” Makoto said. “I could pretend to be working on a summer assignment and try to secure a meeting with her that way.”

Goro nodded. “We can stay out here, then. Best not to attract too much attention; they’ll be more suspicious of a large group.”

Makoto headed for the glossy sliding doors, and the others settled in to wait. Minutes later, a car with tinted windows rolled up to the curb just a few steps from them. The car stopped and the engine halted, but no signs of movement came from within the car. Goro tensed, watching the vehicle from the corner of his eye and noting its plate number. He tried using the special vision given to him by Igor, which allowed him to see two figures behind the dark windshield.

“Morgana,” he whispered, barely moving his lips, “could you go investigate that car?”

Morgana stuck his head a bit farther out of Goro’s bag. “It does look suspicious,” he admitted, “but do you think it has anything to do with us?”

Goro was starting to understand what Ohya had said the other day about intuition; there was no sign that this car was related to Isshiki at all, but her interview had been widely publicized across mainstream news channels. With all that press, she may have ordered this car to escort her home, or she may have attracted the attention of the wrong people.

“I have a feeling it does,” he said.

He crouched, pretending to retie his shoe while Morgana slipped from the bag and over to the car. They were close enough that he could stay out of sight by going in front of the car, then slinking across its side.

As Morgana did that, the front doors slid open once more, and a small group emerged from the research building. Goro could recognize the first person as Isshiki as she approached the car, and he recognized Makoto’s voice to his left. The third person was a man wearing a white suit, tailing Makoto as she spoke with Isshiki.

“Just a few minutes of your time,” she was pleading. “It would mean the world to me; I’m very interested in your research.”

“I told you, schedule a meeting with the front desk,” Isshiki said, opening the side door. As she did, Morgana hopped inside the car to take a quick look; Isshiki and the man were both focused on Makoto, allowing Morgana a small window of opportunity. “I’ve been very busy lately, and I don’t have time for drop-ins. I’m on the way to another interview right now, as a matter of fact.”

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Makoto said. “Another member of my group emailed you a week ago, but there was no response. I know you must be busy, but—”

“That’s enough outta you, kid,” the man said. He blocked the way between Isshiki and Makoto, cutting off their conversation. “Quit bugging Wakaba. I’ll take you to the front desk.”

Isshiki gasped as she turned to see a cat sitting in the car. Morgana darted out, holding something between his teeth, and ran back to Goro and Yusuke. Goro picked him up with a laugh, the attention of the group now on him.

“What is that cat doing?” the man in the suit demanded.

“So sorry about that; he’s usually very well-behaved.” Goro flashed a smile. “We were just getting him some fresh air.”

Morgana twisted in his arms. “Put me down!” he said around the card in his mouth. Goro placed Morgana on the ground and ordered him to stay. He sat obligingly, eyes squinted in resentment.

“Get a leash for that thing next time,” the man said. He furrowed his brow at Goro. “Aren’t you that kid detective? You should know better than to hang around the city with an animal. It could get hurt.”

Goro could sense the man’s genuine concern for Morgana beneath his gruff words. Interesting. “You’re right, sir. He’s trained to stay at my side, but I suppose he has an affinity for nice cars.”

The man didn’t laugh at the joke, but his stance softened a bit. “Okay, everyone move along.” He pointed at Makoto. “You come back inside with me. See you tomorrow, Wakaba.”

“Goodbye, Sojiro.” With one last look at Goro, Isshiki climbed into the car, slamming the door behind her. The car drove away and faded quickly from their sight.

Makoto followed Sojiro back inside to schedule an appointment, and Goro dropped down to Morgana’s level. “What did you find?”

He dropped the card into Goro’s hand. It was a little wet where Morgana was holding it, and Goro avoided touching that spot with his gloves. “There were a few of those scattered under the front seats,” Morgana said. “They all looked the same, so I assume that’s their business card.”

_Hiroto Togashi, Director of the Special Investigations Unit._

Goro smiled and showed the card to Yusuke. “Excellent work, Morgana. We’re finally getting somewhere.”


End file.
